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...
Private sector economists are split over whether the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) will raise interest rates this week, as the need to anchor inflation expectations and defend the peso battles concerns over the fragile economic recovery. Of 10 economists surveyed, five expect a 25-basis-point...
Developing economies including the Philippines are pressing the World Bank Group (WBG) to help reduce borrowing costs as the economic fallout from the Middle East conflict drives up oil prices, disrupts supply chains, and threatens growth and food security. In an April 16 statement delivered before...
Multilateral development banks (MDBs) are stepping up coordination to cushion economies from the spillover effects of the Middle East conflict, citing rising energy costs, supply chain disruptions, and tighter financial conditions as immediate risks to growth and stability. In an April 17 joint...
Rising global energy prices driven by Middle East tensions are posing growing risks to the Philippine office real estate sector, as higher power costs threaten tenant demand, rental growth, and asset values, according to property consultancy Colliers. In an April 16 report, Colliers Philippines...
The Philippines has launched a safeguard investigation into rice imports, as authorities move to assess whether a surge in inbound shipments is harming domestic farmers of the country’s primary food staple. In an April 15 notification to the Geneva-based World Trade Organization (WTO), the...
While the oil-induced inflation spike in the Philippines is raising concerns, think tank Capital Economics expects the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to keep key interest rates steady for the rest of the year. In an April 15 report, Capital Economics chief emerging markets (EMs) economist...
The country risks pushing 1.3 million more people into poverty as an energy crisis and record-high fuel prices threaten to drive the national poverty rate to 14.4 percent, the state-run Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) warned. Before the Middle East conflict triggered a national...
Pockets of extreme tightness in refined fuel supply across Asia are emerging as a major constraint on growth, with the Philippines among the most exposed economies, according to think tank Oxford Economics. In report last Wednesday, April 15, Oxford Economics senior economist Sheana Yue warned that...
Philippine banks face a potential surge in sour loans as escalating tensions in the Middle East threaten to disrupt the domestic economy and weaken the repayment capacity of households, according to S&P Global Ratings. Nikita Anand, S&P Global Ratings director and lead analyst for South and...
Second-round effects of surging energy costs are filtering through the Philippine gaming industry, as business activity begins to bear the brunt of elevated fuel prices caused by Middle East tensions. Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)...
