Despite the Philippine government’s declaration that it has completed its offshore borrowing program for the year, British banking giant Barclays expects the country to raise an additional $2 billion in foreign debt by year-end to help finance the record ₱6.793-trillion 2026 national budget and...
Persistent price pressures are expected to keep the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on alert, but foreign observers are now urging a more dovish stance, including a potential year-long pause, following the central bank 's “restrained” rate hike to 4.75 percent. British banking giant...
British banking giant Barclays said dovish members of the Monetary Board (MB) will likely support a less aggressive policy stance amid signs of cooling inflation, adding that monetary authorities may reverse their tightening cycle by 2027 to buoy a slowing economy. “With the May inflation print...
Stubborn inflation is forcing the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to seriously consider higher borrowing costs, a move that threatens to worsen the sharp economic slowdown already hitting the country. Since the BSP delivered a quarter-point hike to 4.5 percent in April, calls for further...
The Philippines’ trade deficit could widen further in the coming months as export growth loses momentum while imports continue to surge, increasing the economy’s vulnerability to external shocks, Singapore-based Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. Ltd. (OCBC) warned. “Looking ahead, the divergence...
British banking giant Barclays now expects the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to deliver just one more interest rate hike this month before eventually returning to monetary policy easing, after inflation in May slowed more than anticipated. In a report obtained by Manila Bulletin,...
Foreign banks expect Philippine inflation to have picked up further in May, above the already more-than-four-year high of 7.2 percent last April, making room for more interest rate hikes by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). In a May 29 report obtained by Manila Bulletin, Goldman Sachs...
Efforts to tame surging consumer prices may come at a steep cost to the Philippine economy, placing the economic team and monetary authorities in the difficult position of containing inflation while grappling with mounting growth pressures. British banking giant Barclays has turned more bearish on...
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is facing mounting pressure to deliver a more aggressive interest rate hike or a rare off-cycle move after inflation surged to a three-year high in April. British banking giant Barclays is now pricing in three consecutive 25-basis-point increases, which would...
Signs of stagflation are surfacing in the Philippine economy as it enters the second quarter of 2026, with private sector economists warning of a precarious mix of stalled growth and surging consumer prices. The country’s economic output likely posted only a tepid recovery from the previous...
British banking giant Barclays has maintained its “underweight” rating on Philippine sovereign debt, following Fitch Ratings’ decision to downgrade the country’s credit outlook to ‘negative’ amid mounting fiscal and growth concerns. In an April 20 report obtained by Manila Bulletin,...
British banking giant Barclays expects Philippine economic growth this year to fall to a new post-pandemic low, even as easing tensions in the Middle East may help limit further downside risks to the outlook. An April 17 report obtained by Manila Bulletin showed Barclays’ latest forecast of just...