With March inflation exceeding the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas ’ (BSP) forecast, largely due to spillover from global oil price and supply shocks, the central bank warned that a prolonged crisis could seep into the broader consumer basket. This could dampen expectations of a near-term return to...
Philippine banks’ exposure to real estate lending dropped to its lowest level in seven years in the fourth quarter of 2025, as domestic lenders gravitated toward other high-growth sectors while keeping real estate exposure in check. According to the latest data from the Bangko Sentral ng...
Investors’ risk-off sentiment amid rising oil prices continued to lift the United States (US) dollar, while the Philippine peso remained on the losing end, plummeting anew to a level approaching the ₱61-per-dollar mark. The peso fell to another record low against the US dollar for the third...
The Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) is getting smaller. In just three years, a “Great Exit” of major companies, from Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) to Eagle Cement Corp., has pulled more than ₱580 billion out of the public market. This exodus is moving faster than the exchange can...
The peso tumbled to a fresh record low on Friday, March 27, breaching the 60.5-level as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East intensified and the central bank signaled it sees no immediate need to defend the currency. The peso weakened to ₱60.55 per dollar, surpassing the previous historic low...
Below-target borrowings could persist due to war-shocked yields, a strategy the Marcos Jr. administration appears to have applied as it enters the second quarter of 2026, with planned domestic borrowings dropping from ₱824 billion in the first quarter to ₱784 billion. In a March 23 memorandum...
President Marcos’ declaration of a state of national energy emergency was a timely preemptive strike against volatile global crude markets rather than a delayed reaction, according to private sector economists, who warned that Filipino consumers must still prepare for a prolonged period of...
Jollibee Foods Corp. is moving to list its Highlands Coffee unit in Vietnam by the first quarter of 2027, seeking to capitalize on surging retail investor interest in one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing economies. In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, Jollibee said that the board...
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued the final version of its tiered minimum public ownership (MPO) requirement for initial public offerings (IPOs), a move expected to entice major corporations such as GCash and Maya to list their shares locally rather than seek overseas bourses....
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) are moving to revitalize the domestic capital market by introducing rules for Global Philippine Depository Receipts, which would allow local investors to trade foreign stocks in the local currency. SEC Chairman...
The local stock market will look for positive cues from early corporate earnings reporters this week, typically starting with banks, even as sentiment remains dampened by a public works corruption scandal. “Rate cuts alone won’t reignite growth. Without stronger governance, swift resolution of...
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Francis E. Lim expressed regret over his claim that the local stock market lost ₱1.7 trillion in market capitalization due to the corruption scandal, which turned out to be fictitious. “The information, which had been circulating within business...
