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,...
Singapore-based DBS Bank Ltd. said the Philippines is facing declining investor confidence as the persistent surge in energy costs stemming from the Middle East war weighs on the government’s ability to service its debts. Citing data on credit default swaps (CDS), DBS economists said the...
Singapore-based DBS Bank Ltd stated that the Philippine peso is emerging as one of Asia’s most vulnerable currencies as deepening global oil crisis exposes the nation’s heavy reliance on imported energy and the lack of government subsidies. DBS wrote in a commentary published last Friday that...
Consumer prices may have risen at a faster pace in August, the central bank projected, as recent typhoons and excessive rainfall likely stoked the cost of basic goods, especially food items. Last month’s inflation is expected to clock within the range of one percent to 1.8 percent, according to...
Despite recent interest rate cuts by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), inflation hitting nearly six-year lows in recent months, and still-muted second-quarter growth in some sectors, further reductions in key borrowing costs are seen as necessary. “We think the second-quarter GDP [gross...
The Philippine economy is enjoying low inflation and accelerated growth amid a manufacturing rebound plus improved consumer spending in the second quarter of 2025, according to global investment banking giant Goldman Sachs. In an Aug. 1 report obtained by Manila Bulletin, Goldman Sachs Economics...
Citing a lackluster performance that the Philippine economy has been showing since its recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, climbing to the high-income-status target 15 years from now could be impossible, the country’s chief socioeconomic planner stated. Department of Economy, Planning, and...
While the Philippines’ climb to upper-middle-income-country (UMIC) status is attainable in the medium term, the country will be surpassed by neighboring Vietnam, which would jump to become a high-income economy 15 years from now, according to Singapore-based DBS Bank Ltd. The Philippines,...
Philippine goods exports climbed 13.2 percent year-on-year to a record $41.24 billion in the first six months of 2025 as exporters front-loaded shipments ahead of the 19-percent tariff to be imposed by the United States (US), the country’s top export market. National Statistician Claire Dennis S....
The peso dropped to the ₱57 level against the United States (US) dollar on Thursday morning, June 19, ahead of the expected Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) interest rate cut later in the day. According to the Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP), the local currency opened at ₱57.1,...
The Philippines is facing a growing deficit in its net dollar earnings or current account, placing it in the middle of the pack in the latest macro risk assessment of 27 key emerging markets (EMs) by DBS Bank Ltd. In a June 17 report authored by DBS senior economist Han Teng Chua and data analytics...
Israel 's attack on Iran may pause monetary policy easing by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) while also weakening the peso, according to foreign banks. “We think that the spike in oil prices on June 13 due to the Israel-Iran conflict is unlikely to derail the BSP 's decision to...
