The Philippine economy faces a potential “second wave” of inflation and a sharp slowdown in growth if geopolitical volatility in the Middle East persists, according to HSBC. In a briefing on Tuesday, April 28, Aris Dacanay, HSBC senior Asean economist, warned that a prolonged blockade of the...
Philippine business sentiment collapsed into pessimistic territory in the first quarter as escalating Middle East tensions fueled fears of an energy price shock, according to the latest central bank data. According to the latest Business Expectations Survey (BES) released by the Bangko Sentral ng...
House Minority Leader and 4Ps Party-list Rep. Marcelino “Nonoy” Libanan says it 's now "justified" for the country’s 17 regional wage boards to roll out a fresh round of minimum wage increases starting this June. “There’s no question that a new round of regional wage hikes is now...
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) signaled a more aggressive path for monetary policy, with the central bank chief indicating readiness to deliver “as many hikes as necessary” to curb domestic price pressures resulting from global oil supply shocks. Following the central bank’s first...
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) signaled a shift toward a tightening cycle, with the central bank chief indicating that the recent quarter-point increase in the benchmark borrowing rate is likely the first of several gradual moves to tame resurgent price pressures. BSP Governor Eli M....
The inflation-targeting Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is expected to raise the policy rate by 25 basis points (bps) to 4.5 percent to confront war-driven price hikes head-on, according to investment banking giant Goldman Sachs. “Given its price stability mandate, we believe the BSP will hike...
While Asian currencies have been on a modest decline since Middle East tensions flared up, Japanese financial giant MUFG Bank Ltd. said the Philippine peso was the biggest loser among regional currencies, given the domestic economy’s high exposure to imported oil. Separately, think tank Capital...
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) should raise its benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point on Thursday to combat broadening price pressures that are beginning to weigh on private consumption, according to New York-based GlobalSource Partners Inc. In a commentary released April 22,...
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,...
Fitch Solutions unit BMI expects the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to keep policy rates unchanged at its meeting on Thursday, April 23, as higher consumer prices weigh on household consumption and could further slow economic growth. This forecast comes on the back of March inflation data, which...
Philippine economic growth in 2026 would have hit the government’s downgraded target range had the war in the Middle East been short-lived, according to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). However, the Bangkok-headquartered UNESCAP said a...
I may have to eat humble pie if the Philippine peso weakens to ₱60 to the United States (US) dollar or above for a prolonged period in 2026. I have been cocksure that “the Philippine peso will not be a ‘senior citizen’ any time this year.” I had predicted the exchange rate would remain at...
