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...
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...
The global oil shock triggered by escalating conflict in the Middle East is hitting the Philippines’ poorest households the hardest, as surging fuel costs spill over into food prices and erode purchasing power. A March 26 position paper by state-run policy think tank Philippine Institute for...
Pervasive corruption in the Philippines is preventing the country from realizing its full economic potential, despite President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. making “steady progress” on his reform agenda, according to the think tank Capital Economics. In its Asia Economic Outlook report for the...
Two global banking giants have flagged political and fiscal challenges posing near-term risks to the Philippine economy, especially in the aftermath of a corruption scandal involving massive public spending on ineffective flood control projects in recent years. While “there is a strong pipeline...
Singapore-based United Overseas Bank (UOB) expects lower interest rates to lift Philippine economic growth in the near term, despite lingering global challenges that would likely expand the domestic economy below the government’s goal for the year. In its Quarterly Global Outlook report for the...
Investment banking giant Goldman Sachs expects the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to cut key interest rates by 25 basis points (bps) on Thursday, Aug. 28, amid low domestic inflation and slower economic growth. In an Aug. 22 report obtained by Manila Bulletin, Goldman Sachs Economics Research...
Germany-based Deutsche Bank said a quarter-point rate cut on Thursday would help support Philippine economic activity, following the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) revised forecast that the negative output gap will persist until 2027. “We see the BSP lowering its policy rate by 25 bps...
Tempered household consumption, still reeling from the pandemic-induced recession, is weighing on the Philippine growth outlook, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). With private consumption—which accounts for more than 70 percent of the local economy—showing “weak momentum,”...
Amid expectations of slower economic growth and lower inflation this year, global investment banking giant Goldman Sachs sees more interest rate cuts by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) Monetary Board (MB) during the next three quarters before pausing its easing cycle. In an Aug. 7 report,...
The Philippines and Southeast Asia may attract foreign investments avoiding China and India if the United States (US) pushes through with its threat of higher tariffs on Indian goods, according to the think tank Capital Economics. “[US] President [Donald] Trump’s threat to impose an additional...
While Philippine gross domestic product (GDP) growth showed relative strength in the second quarter, private-sector economists believe it is not strong enough to prevent the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) from further reducing interest rates, as inflation is expected to remain soft and growth...
