JUST LAST WEEK I argued that cryptocurrency is here to stay. Now I’d like to explain to some of my crypto friends why parts of the mainstream economics and financial world do not take them more seriously. To put it bluntly: Many of you do not understand monetary economics very well.

I wonder if things will ever go back to the old times when business executives closed deals over cocktails at a five-star hotel lobby bar, or at a half-day golf game in a prestigious golf course in the outskirts of Manila. Or maybe it was just entertaining foreign buyers or visiting VIPs, and the dark night beckoned with bars and hot entertainment. Business and pleasure were alliances with dalliances.

SO, BIG SURPRISE, I have not been asked to be on Facebook’s Supreme Court of content. I was all ready to do an anti-Sherman if called: I will accept if nominated and will serve if elected.

There has been much noise in media lately regarding a certain black rock. In particular, there has been an effort to create the perception...

Today I join the students of Catholic schools in the Philippines in the celebration of the 39th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution....

By Benjamin R. Punongbayan FEDERALISM is now getting wider attention. This is good. It is clear that this structure of government, which is totally alien to...

I am pleased to share with readers excerpts from a note sent September 2020 to subscribers of GlobalSource Partners upon the release of the Development Budget Coordination Committee’s Fiscal Risk Statement (DBCC FRS). Christine Tang and I, assisted by Charles Marquez, are their Philippine Advisers.

Conspiracy is an intriguing 2001 HBO film on the Wannsee Conference, called to resolve (as referred to in the movie) the “Jewish question.” Based on the only surviving transcript of the event, it ends with an agreement to carry out the “Final Solution,” leading to the murder of six million Jews.

STAYCATION was a clever marketing strategy for hotels to fill up rooms over lean days like weekends which business travelers seldom book. It meant staying a weekend in a nearby luxe hotel, requiring a short car trip (free basement parking) at the same time enjoying fresh bed sheets, fluffy towels, a swimming pool, and free breakfast buffet. And this is offered as a package with hefty discounts for a family staying in the city and having a vacation. This is not to be confused with the shorter stay for a couple where the fluffy towels also come in handy along with a preference for in-room dining -- no breakfast required.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is the administration’s reluctant partner in its appeasement policy on China. The Philippine military has been very wary of closer Philippine-China economic relations in particular, and on the so-called “pivot to China” in general. The wariness stems from the fact that it has a long and close relationship with United States Armed Forces.

After months of negotiations, Elon Musk finalized his acquisition of Twitter on Oct. 27. The price? A whopping $44 billion. Of the purchase price, Musk...

In comparing the GDP size of countries, I use the purchasing power parity (PPP) values, not current values for two reasons. One is that...