Japanese financial giant MUFG Bank Ltd. said the Philippine peso may start clawing back recent losses and reverse its underperformance following unexpected news that the United States (US) and Iran will sign a peace deal on Friday, allowing the Strait of Hormuz to reopen. “Asian currencies such...
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...
Telecommunications titan PLDT Inc. is awaiting the next move of Maya stakeholder KKR & Co. over the digital bank’s planned initial public offering (IPO), as the telecom giant aims to increase its stake to unlock further value and support revenue growth. PLDT Chairman and Chief Executive Officer...
Philippine stocks remain among Asia’s weakest performers as investors continue to favor markets benefiting from the artificial intelligence (AI) boom, while concerns over domestic economic, investment, and policy conditions weigh on sentiment, according to Singapore-based DBS Bank Ltd. In a...
The Philippines’ automotive market has received another vote of confidence from Japan, with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) backing a $573-million financing package to support the vehicle sales business of Mitsubishi Motors Finance Philippines Inc. (MMFP). In a statement...
MUFG Bank Ltd., Japan’s largest commercial lender, is prepared to finance nuclear energy projects in the Philippines as part of its regional sustainable finance strategy, though it favors smaller reactors over reviving the country 's dormant, large-scale assets. In a media roundtable, MUFG...
The domestic inflation environment remains persistently “challenging,” according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), a factor that MUFG Bank Ltd. believes could prompt the central bank to further tighten monetary policy to help anchor the pressured peso. Last Friday night, June 5, the BSP...
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) would likely continue hiking interest rates this year despite the lower-than-expected inflation rate in May, even as the pace of monetary policy tightening may be more gradual as economic growth remains subdued, according to Singapore-based United Overseas Bank...
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...
The outbreak of the Middle East conflict, which resulted in disruptions to the global oil supply and caused the sharp increase in the price of crude oil per barrel, has profoundly altered the Philippines’ approach to energy security. The fragility of the country’s energy security—due largely...
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...
Foreign banks are turning more hawkish on domestic consumer prices than the central bank, warning that expiring price freezes and unabsorbed food costs will drive inflation beyond official projections. Frankfurt-based Deutsche Bank AG has an inflation forecast of 8.1 percent for May, breaching the...
