Samarkand, UZBEKISTAN — Central bank and finance chiefs from across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), China, Japan, and South Korea are bracing for slower economic growth and higher inflation risks amid a prolonged war in the Middle East. In a joint statement on Sunday, May 3,...
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...
The peso is at risk of crumbling to a record low of ₱63 against the United States (US) dollar if a protracted Middle East conflict drives oil prices higher and forces Washington to adopt a more hawkish policy stance. Estimates by the Japanese financial giant MUFG Bank Ltd. show that in a risk...
Businesses have turned more pessimistic about the global economic outlook amid the ongoing United States (US)/Israel war with Iran, according to think tank Oxford Economics. In an April 30 report, Oxford Economics head of macro scenarios Jamie Thompson said the conflict in the Middle East is...
The World Bank Group (WBG) has warned that the war in the Middle East is set to trigger the biggest energy price surge in four years, fueling inflation, slowing economic growth, and worsening food insecurity across developing economies. In an April 28 statement, the Washington-based multilateral...
Some Filipinos classified as “non-poor” may actually be living in poverty, as current measurement methods fail to capture how resources are shared within households, according to state-run think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS). In a statement on Friday, April 24, PIDS...
The soon-to-rise United States (US) economic security zone in the Philippines could strengthen the country’s role in global supply chains for semiconductors and critical minerals, potentially moving the local industry beyond its current focus on low-value assembly and testing, according to the...
Sari-sari stores recorded a 90-percent surge in sales in March as rising global oil prices triggered widespread stockpiling among micro-retailers and households, according to homegrown tech startup Packworks. In a statement on Thursday, April 23, Packworks said that based on over one million...
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...
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...
Rising energy prices triggered by the Middle East conflict are placing financial pressure across the Philippine office sector, with costs ultimately shared among landlords, occupiers, and the broader market, according to property consultancy Colliers. In a report on Monday, April 20, Colliers...
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...
