Frankfurt-based Deutsche Bank AG is expecting the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to further raise key borrowing costs twice more to reach 5.25 percent, standing firmly by its assumption that the hiking cycle is not yet over and that the looming El Niño further threatens price spikes. Deutsche...
The country’s rice imports surged 23 percent to nearly 2.4 million metric tons (MT) from January to May compared to the same period last year, as traders rushed to fortify inventories ahead of an expected dip in local production. Citing Bureau of Customs (BOC) data, the Congressional Policy and...
Frankfurt-based Deutsche Bank AG has called for a jumbo 50-basis-point (bp) interest rate hike on Thursday, arguing that a larger increase would tackle growing price pressures head-on and avoid the need for more drastic tightening later. In a June 12 commentary, Deutsche Bank wrote that the Bangko...
Borrowing costs in the Philippines surged to among the highest in the region in the first quarter of 2026, tracking heightened market anxieties over economic uncertainty and potential energy supply shocks triggered by the flare-up of the Middle East conflict nearly four months ago. According to the...
Despite easing inflation in May, pressure is mounting on the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to raise interest rates by 50 basis points (bps) at its June 18 policy meeting, as analysts see the moderation in price growth as short-lived and argue that a smaller hike could come at the expense of the...
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...
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Wednesday, June 3, disclosed it was elated with the results of a recent survey showing strong public backing for a more assertive stance in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), saying the findings reinforce the military’s ongoing defense posture and...
Japanese financial giant MUFG Bank Ltd. warned that the Philippine peso could plunge to as low as ₱64.5 against the United States (US) dollar if the Middle East war re-escalates, with the decline worsened further by a global “super” El Niño and a hawkish US central bank. MUFG analysts wrote...
Singapore-based regional surveillance body ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO) is seeing a full-year stagflationary period as it significantly lowers its Philippine growth outlook amid mounting pressure from elevated costs of living. Based on AMRO’s June 2026 interim update of its...
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...
Lower-income households will need to cough up an additional ₱490 in monthly rice spending due to higher fertilizer prices and their impact on retail prices, according to the Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department (CPBRD). Under a conservative lower-bound scenario, the House of...
The government is expected to generate significantly higher revenues from imported non-agricultural fertilizer products this year as global fertilizer prices surge due to the ongoing Middle East crisis. Citing Bureau of Customs (BOC) data, think tank Congressional Policy and Budget Research...
