Elevated energy costs, weak investment, and softer domestic demand are slowing the Philippines’ recovery from its recent growth slump, according to Singapore-based United Overseas Bank Ltd. (UOB), warranting continued monetary policy tightening by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). In its...
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is expected to extend its monetary tightening cycle to a peak of 5.5 percent, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc., as sticky underlying price pressures overshadow the recent cooldown in headline inflation. While headline inflation decelerated to 6.4 percent...
Consumer price growth likely slowed for another month in June, driven by declining global oil and food costs alongside a recovering currency, according to private-sector economists. A median forecast from regional banks and analysts projects headline inflation to have moderated to between 6.5...
Currency pressures from the global oil shock have dissipated, allowing the Philippine peso to rebound and even outperform other regional currencies, Singapore-based UOB said, which expects the previously battered currency to fare better against the United States (US) dollar thanks to falling oil...
The Philippines is grappling with the fastest inflation rate among Southeast Asia’s major economies, as the country’s acute exposure to crude volatility from the United States-Iran conflict offsets the recent cooling in consumer price growth. While aggregate inflation across the ASEAN-6 nations...
With the Philippine peso dropping nearly five percent against the United States (US) dollar since January, Singapore-based United Overseas Bank Ltd. (UOB) forecasts that the local currency could tumble to a fresh record low of ₱63 per greenback over the next quarter. UOB said in its latest...
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is expected to maintain its hawkish monetary policy stance, according to international lenders, though economists remain divided on how many additional interest-rate increases will be needed to combat persistent supply-side inflation. Japanese financial...
Asian currencies rebounded against the United States (US) dollar following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a peace deal with Iran, with the Philippine peso leading regional gains. “As far as Asian currencies were concerned, the Philippine peso returned from holiday and led Asian...
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...
Stubborn inflation is forcing the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to seriously consider higher borrowing costs, a move that threatens to worsen the sharp economic slowdown already hitting the country. Since the BSP delivered a quarter-point hike to 4.5 percent in April, calls for further...
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 Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is facing a delicate balancing act as foreign and local lenders price in a minimum five percent benchmark interest rate by the end of 2026. Economists said that mounting stagflationary pressures and the potential de-escalation of geopolitical conflicts in the...