Demand for government securities (GS) improved at the start of the second quarter, but the Marcos Jr. administration still struggled to raise its planned ₱27 billion in short-term debt papers, as overall interest costs remained elevated amid anticipation of a policy hike in April. During the...
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has likely exhausted its window for monetary easing as resurgent price pressures threaten to breach the upper limit of its target range, according to the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO). While the Philippine economy shows signs of stabilizing...
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is moving to shield borrowers from the immediate financial fallout of natural disasters by proposing a regulatory relief package that includes a half-year moratorium on loan penalties. Under a draft BSP circular currently under review, non-bank financial...
The Philippines is more vulnerable to “stagflationary” shock than any of its Southeast Asian neighbors as surging energy costs and cooling domestic demand squeeze the country’s economy, according to Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. (OCBC) In a research note published last week, OCBC economists...
The Philippines is facing an inflationary shock that could spill over to slower economic growth, potential job losses, and more capital market outflows amid a prolonged Middle East conflict, according to the World Bank. The global oil price and supply shock wrought by the war in Iran would “raise...
If the war in the Middle East prolongs and global oil prices continue to skyrocket, the Philippine peso could breach the ₱61:$1 level in the second quarter of 2026 and even hit as low as ₱62 to ₱64 against the United States (US) dollar. “Our base case forecasts for the US dollar-Philippine...
Renewed Houthi attacks in the Red Sea are seen aggravating oil price- and supply-driven inflation pressures in the Philippines stemming from the ongoing war in the Middle East. “While the direct effect of renewed strikes on shipping in the Red Sea on aggregate world trade is likely to be limited,...
Multilateral lenders including the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Bank Group (WBG) are moving to provide immediate financing and coordinated support to countries reeling from the economic fallout of the Middle East war. In a statement on...
A wider external imbalance threatens to add further depreciation pressure on the already record-weak Philippine peso, as escalating geopolitical tensions—particularly the United States (US)-backed Israel-Iran conflict—are expected to drive up import costs and weigh on export growth, widening...
Singapore-based United Overseas Bank Ltd. (UOB) expects the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to keep key interest rates unchanged this year, despite rising risks to growth and inflation from the ongoing war in the Middle East. “Amid persistent uncertainty over the Middle East conflict, we expect...
Local banking sector showed signs of resilience in February as lending growth by major lenders accelerated, snapping the cooling trend that had sent credit expansion to a near two-year low the previous month. According to the latest data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), bank lending...
Bank of Commerce, the banking arm of conglomerate San Miguel Corp., reported record full-year earnings as surging interest income and disciplined approach to costs drove a third consecutive year of growth following its initial public offering. In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange on...
