HONG KONG is the top destination for Swiss watches, surpassing in the last three years the value of those taken in by the US, China, Japan, and the UK (in that order, latest figures from the Federation of Swiss Watch Industry show). Notably as well, Hong Kong is the second-biggest exporter of watches, next to Switzerland in terms of value, and coming after China in number of units, according to the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. It was no surprise, then, for Tudor to debut a new timepiece not in its home country of Switzerland, but in Hong Kong.

FASHION’S beautiful bad boy (at least according to some British newspapers) Jordan Barrett set foot in Manila on Nov. 20 for a fashion show showcasing Penshoppe’s Holiday 2018 collection.

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) needs to evaluate soil types and their suitability to crops on a regional basis before it implements changes to the planting calendar, according to an expert from the Climate Change Commission (CCC).

TREASURY BILLS (T-bill) on offer today will likely see their rates move sideways amid continued strong demand as investors look for more signals that domestic inflation is already decelerating, as expected by the central bank.

WORLD BALANCE and The Walt Disney Company Philippines have collaborated on a limited-edition collection of products to celebrate Mickey Mouse’s 90^th anniversary and highlight the Filipino brand’s world-class potential.

ADDITIONAL funding as well as a foreign exchange cover will allow the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to do more open market operations while protecting itself from losses, a senior official said as they await the passage of changes to the central bank charter.

THE PESO may weaken against the dollar this week as developments in the European Union (EU) and United States are expected to boost safe-haven buying in favor of the dollar.

SHARES may trade sideways in the days ahead as investors take a breather after the main index’s 250-point increase last week.

A FARMERS’ organization said the agriculture sector stands to lose revenue worth P60 billion annually if the rice tariffication bill is enacted, and warned that politicians could get their hands on the collected tariffs.

THE Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) said policy reforms are needed in the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to ensure that the telecom industry’s third player can compete effectively with incumbents PLDT, Inc. and Globe Telecom, Inc.

THE Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) will soon partner with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to promote best practices in e-commerce among exporters.

On Nov. 15, the technical working group organized by the Senate Committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship chaired by Senator Pimentel met on the proposed Senate bill that would create the drug price regulatory board or DPRB.