British banking giant Barclays has maintained its “underweight” rating on Philippine sovereign debt, following Fitch Ratings’ decision to downgrade the country’s credit outlook to ‘negative’ amid mounting fiscal and growth concerns. In an April 20 report obtained by Manila Bulletin,...
Fitch Solutions unit BMI expects the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to keep policy rates unchanged at its meeting on Thursday, April 23, as higher consumer prices weigh on household consumption and could further slow economic growth. This forecast comes on the back of March inflation data, which...
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...
I may have to eat humble pie if the Philippine peso weakens to ₱60 to the United States (US) dollar or above for a prolonged period in 2026. I have been cocksure that “the Philippine peso will not be a ‘senior citizen’ any time this year.” I had predicted the exchange rate would remain at...
Stalling public investments, compounded by vulnerability to the escalating impacts of the ongoing global energy shock, prompted global debt watcher Fitch Ratings to downgrade its outlook on the Philippines’ investment-grade status from ‘stable’ to ‘negative.’ This shift in outlook places...
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...
Stagflationary pressures are building in the Philippines as swift and pronounced spillovers from the Middle East conflict prompt the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to slash its growth forecast while anticipating above-target inflation. According to the IMF’s April 2026 World Economic Outlook...
The Philippines is grappling with entrenched institutional weaknesses and rising geopolitical volatility that threaten to undermine its credit profile, according to global debt watcher Moody’s Ratings. While the credit watcher maintained the nation’s investment-grade rating at ‘Baa2’ with...
Philippine economic recovery from the flood-control corruption fallout last year is seen as being derailed by escalating geopolitical risks from the Middle East conflict, according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which slashed its 2026 growth forecast to below target. Citing uncertainties tied...
British banking giant Barclays sees the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) holding key interest rates steady at this month’s policy meeting before possibly hiking in June, in a bid to support the already weak economic growth outlook even prior to the war in the Middle East. “With the ceasefire...
American banking giant Citi said a sustained surge in energy prices could trigger a spike in the overall inflation rate to around three percentage points (ppt) above the government’s four-percent ceiling. Citi wrote in an April 8 commentary that this could lead to muted consumer demand and...
