The United States (US) and the Philippines are planning to establish a 4,000-acre, or a nearly 1,619-hectare (ha), industrial hub in Luzon aimed at strengthening supply chains for critical inputs, according to the US Department of State. In an April 16 fact sheet, the US State Department said the...
The ceasefire-driven rally of Asian currencies, including the Philippine peso, may be short-lived as global oil risks linger, according to Singapore-based Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. Ltd. (OCBC). In an April 9 report, OCBC Group Research foreign exchange (FX) strategists Sim Moh Siong and...
If the war in the Middle East prolongs and global oil prices continue to skyrocket, the Philippine peso could breach the ₱61:$1 level in the second quarter of 2026 and even hit as low as ₱62 to ₱64 against the United States (US) dollar. “Our base case forecasts for the US dollar-Philippine...
Singapore-based United Overseas Bank (UOB) expects lower interest rates to lift Philippine economic growth in the near term, despite lingering global challenges that would likely expand the domestic economy below the government’s goal for the year. In its Quarterly Global Outlook report for the...
Despite recent pronouncements by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) that one more policy rate cut before year-end would maintain the “Goldilocks” level, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) still forecasts two more reductions at each of the two remaining Monetary Board (MB) interest rate...
Asian exports, including those from the Philippines, are seen remaining resilient in the second half of the year, contrary to earlier expectations that regional shipments would slump once front-loading ahead of United States (US) tariffs wane, according to the think tank Capital Economics....
The Philippines and Southeast Asia may attract foreign investments avoiding China and India if the United States (US) pushes through with its threat of higher tariffs on Indian goods, according to the think tank Capital Economics. “[US] President [Donald] Trump’s threat to impose an additional...
Expectations of further cuts in key borrowing costs as early as this month have grown stronger, driven by last month’s nearly six-year low inflation and lingering economic threats from United States (US) tariffs. Following the below one-percent headline print in July, private-sector economists...
The local agriculture industry may soon see stronger trade ties with Canada, as its agriculture and agri-food minister expressed confidence in deepening the North American country ’s trade relationship with the Philippines. Despite tariff uncertainties in the United States (US), Heath...
The Philippine economy and its export industry will see no decline in output and exports from the direct impact of the 19-percent tariffs threatened by the United States (US), according to a study by De La Salle University (DLSU) economists. In a recently published policy brief titled “The tariff...
After performing among the worst of Asian currencies last week, the Philippine peso is still expected by Japanese financial giant MUFG Bank Ltd. to gradually appreciate and return to the ₱56:$1 level next year. “All Asian currencies depreciated against the United States (US) dollar [last] week,...
Philippine goods exports climbed 13.2 percent year-on-year to a record $41.24 billion in the first six months of 2025 as exporters front-loaded shipments ahead of the 19-percent tariff to be imposed by the United States (US), the country’s top export market. National Statistician Claire Dennis S....
