RATES OF Treasury bills (T-bills) on offer this week will likely decline on inflation data and as investors continue to park their funds in short-term safe-haven assets.
The Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) is offering P20 billion in T-bills on Monday, broken down into P5 billion each for the 91- and 182-day papers and P10 billion for 364-day T-bills.
On Tuesday, BTr will auction off P15 billion via 35-day T-bills.
Security Bank First Vice-President and Head of Wholesale Treasury Sales Sales Carlyn Therese X. Dulay expects yields on the short-term papers to decline on the back of strong demand.
“We may continue to see strong support from market participants in the short end in the coming weeks as the market remains awash with liquidity,” Ms. Dulay said via e-mail on Thursday.
The Treasury upsized the volume of T-bills it awarded on April 27 to P24 billion from the P20-billion program after total bids hit P91 billion. It also opened the tap facility to raise another P10 billion via the one-year papers.
Broken down, it raised P7 billion via 91-day papers versus the original P5-billion offer as the average rate dropped 49.6 basis points (bps) to 2.617% from the previous rate of 3.113% on April 20.
It also upsized the volume of 182-day T-bills awarded to P7 billion from its plan to raise P5 billion. The six-month papers fetched an average rate of 2.831%, down 40.8 bps from 3.239% previously.
The BTr also fully awarded P10-billion worth of 364-day papers at an average rate of 3.054%, lower by 24.1 bps from 3.295% previously.
For the 35-day papers, Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort said the tenor could fetch yields 10 bps lower than the previous auction, while Ms. Dulay projects its rate to settle within the 2.3-2.5% range.
The government made a full award of the P15-billion in 35-day T-bills it offered on April 21 from total tenders of P62.2 billion, with the average rate declining to 2.714%. It also raised another P10 billion via the tap facility.
At the secondary market, rates for the three-month, six-month and one-year papers stood at 2.974%, 3.064% and 3.01%, respectively while the one-month T-bills were quoted at 3.02%.
Mr. Ricafort said rates could decline in anticipation of further monetary easing from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on slower inflation driven by plunging global oil prices.
“Major catalysts/leads include expectations of further cut/s in the local policy rates and banks’ RRR (reserve requirement ratio) amid the sharp decline in global oil prices recently, to the lowest levels in nearly 20 years, that could further lower inflation. Inflation is widely expected to ease amid the recent declines in global oil prices to 18-year lows and strongest peso exchange rate in more than 2 years,” he said via Viber on Saturday.
The Philippine Statistics Authority will report April inflation data on May 5.
BSP Governor Benjamin E. Diokno last week said headline inflation in April likely settled between 1.9% and 2.7%, slower compared to 2.5% seen in March which was already down from the 2.6% recorded in February.
The BSP targets 2-4% inflation this year, projecting it to average at two percent.
Security Bank’s Ms. Dulay said they expect “decent to strong” demand for the short-term papers to continue in the medium term and see more successful auctions for these instruments following hints of further policy easing from the central bank in the second half.
“We see risk taking in the belly to the long-end slowing down slightly as it has already moved 200 bps lower from the peak of the sell-off,” she said.
Mr. Diokno said last week monetary easing via policy rate cuts and trimming banks’ RRR are still on the agenda to cushion the economy from the impact of the virus.
The BSP cut interest rates by 50 bps in an off-cycle meeting last April 16 to bring down the rates on the overnight reverse repurchase, deposit and lending facilities to 2.75%, 3.25% and 2.25%, respectively.
It also injected fresh liquidity into the system as it trimmed universal and commercial banks’ reserve requirement ratio by 200 bps to 12%.
For this month, the government is planning to borrow P170 billion from the local market. The Treasury wants to raise P110 billion via its weekly T-bill auctions and the remaining P60 billion via Treasury bonds to be offered fortnightly. — Beatrice M. Laforga
A STUDY to validate claims that virgin coconut oil (VCO) could be useful in treating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients has received P5 million worth of funding, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said.
The DA, through the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), said it enlisted various agencies to study claims of VCO’s anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties.
“The success of this will not only help our COVID-19 patients, but also benefit our marginal coconut farmers,” Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said.
PCA administrator Benjamin R. Madrigal Jr. said initial VCO research has shown that the lauric acid in VCO helps fight COVID-19 by disintegrating the virus membrane, inhibiting the maturation of the virus, and preventing the binding of viral proteins to the host cell membrane.
The study includes first, a community-based modified clinical study on the use of VCO, involving persons under investigation for COVID-19 infection, who exhibit symptoms of the disease.
The second involves the use of VCO as a supplement to the daily treatment regimen, in addition to the drugs being assessed in clinical trials, of COVID-19 positive patients at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH).
The tests are being conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) with the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) in Region IV-A, the Santa Rosa City government in Laguna, and Medical City South Luzon.
The PCA will also support all clinical laboratory tests in the community-based studies to confirm VCO’s antiviral and immune system-boosting qualities.
“Demand for VCO has started to pick up with the on-going confirmatory clinical research at UP-PGH and at the community quarantine facility in Sta. Rosa, Laguna,” Mr. Madrigal said.
Other research partners are the Philippine Center for Health Research and Development (PCHRD), the Department of Health (DoH), University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), and a team led by Professor Fabian Antonio M. Dayrit of Ateneo de Manila University. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
TOYOTA Motor Philippines Corp. (TMP) is launching a mobile app for customers to book maintenance appointments for their vehicles, especially after the quarantine measures declared to help contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
TMP is rolling out MyToyota PH on May 4, allowing owners of Toyota vehicles to book service appointments at dealers that are operational according to the area’s quarantine period, it said in a statement on Sunday.
Business operations to repair motor vehicles and motorcycles are allowed in areas under general community quarantine.
“Toyota owners will also have access to the tool’s key features straight from their mobile phones. Inquiries are made easier as customers can directly send messages to their dealers about their booked appointment,” TMP said.
The app sends reminders to users 24 hours and an hour prior to their appointment. It also displays job items and service cost estimates.
Toyota will only accommodate confirmed service appointments to ensure physical distancing. All Toyota dealers nationwide, TMP said, will be available for car service booking after quarantine measures have been lifted. — Jenina P. Ibañez
THE PESO is expected to continue climbing this week, with markets anticipating developments on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The local unit closed trading at P50.40 against the dollar on Thursday, gaining 11 centavos from its P50.51 finish on Wednesday, according to data from the Bankers Association of the Philippines. It also strengthened by 43 centavos from its P50.84 close on April 24.
Markets were closed on May 1 for Labor Day.
The peso’s strength came after the release of latest data on the country’s gross international reserves, according to Michael L. Ricafort, chief economist at Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC).
Meanwhile, UnionBank of the Philippines, Inc. Chief Economist Ruben Carlo O. Asuncion said the currency was supported by the country’s economic fundamentals.
“The peso has continued to strengthen because of the Philippines’ financial strength, as generally measured by various macroeconomic indices,” he said via text.
Mr. Asuncion said the peso has shown resilience in the first four months of the year despite the “wild volatility in markets due to the COVID-19 pandemic”.
For this week, Mr. Asuncion said investors will track upcoming data releases.
“Inflation and GDP (gross domestic product) economic data releases will be major drivers this week for the peso,” he said.
The first-quarter GDP report will be released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on May 7.
Meanwhile, a BusinessWorld poll of 14 economists yielded a median estimate of two percent for April headline inflation, with analysts citing the continued drop in global oil prices as a major downside risk.
If realized, this would mark the third consecutive month of easing inflation coming from the 2.5% in March and also slower than the 3.1% logged in April 2019. The estimate also falls near the lower end of the central bank’s 1.9% to 2.7% estimate for the month.
BSP Governor Benjamin E. Diokno has said headline inflation may average at two percent this year, down from the 2.2% forecast given in March.
April inflation data will be reported on May 5.
Aside from major economic data releases, RCBC’s Mr. Ricafort said peso trading will also be affected by market sentiment on developments related to COVID-19 and global oil prices.
“The markets would also take cue on future progress on the possible treatment for COVID-19 and also the trend in global oil prices,” Mr. Ricafort said.
On Sunday, Swiss drug maker Roche Holding AG got emergency use approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for an antibody test to help determine if people have ever been infected with the COVID-19, according to Reuters. This is only one among other experiments done among others seeking ways to improve battling with the virus as well as to shield people from having it.
The virus has already sickened more than 3.4 million around the world and killed over 244,000. In the Philippines, cases have risen by 156 to 8,928 as of Saturday with 1,124 recoveries and deaths hitting 603, according to health officials.
For this week, Mr. Ricafort gave a forecast range of P50.25 to P50.65 while Mr. Asuncion sees the local unit moving around the P50.40 to P50.70 band. — L.W.T. Noble with Reuters
The day I went to the office on the first week of Metro Manila’s lockdown, it felt like the life I knew was suddenly an episode of Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror or Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone.
Roxas Boulevard — a road that usually makes me want to pull my hair out for its heavy traffic — was empty. From Parañaque to Luneta, I must have seen fewer than 15 vehicles. The Philippine Star newsroom was quiet with just a few editors around. The things that made Metro Manila the home we both love and hate had all but disappeared — and in their place, blue skies, empty streets, long lines to get inside supermarkets, checkpoints.
That was March. It’s now May and the lockdown, originally from March 15 to April 14, has been extended twice until May 15. If there is anything that COVID-19 has taught us and the rest of the world, it’s that it doesn’t give a f*ck about anyone’s timetable — not even US President Trump’s, who idiotically predicted in February that the virus would “magically go away” in April and just two weeks ago suggested injecting disinfectant into the human body to fight COVID-19.
The virus doesn’t follow our calendars either, as we tick off yet another week of a summer slipping through our sanitized fingers.
With COVID-19 cases going up in Metro Manila and testing not reaching an ideal level, we have two more weeks of super enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), making it a total of eight weeks in lockdown. Our third-world country has been fighting the virus, our economy and businesses are melting down — and China is ramping up construction of artificial islands in contested waters near Palawan. This is Malacañang Palace’s friend? And, no, Imelda Papin, it’s not “Iisang dagat” (One sea) as your propaganda song says. This is not a time-share condo or a build-operate-transfer project; it’s the West Philippine Sea and it’s ours alone.
Some questions we ought to ask ourselves during this lockdown: Has the coronavirus reset our perspective in life, our notions of what’s normal, what’s right, what’s wrong and what to fight for? Has news of abuses, both by citizens violating quarantine rules and by authorities quick to resort to violence, enraged us yet and opened our eyes to this government’s lack of preparedness and — after five weeks of emergency power — a lack a coherent report on how the P275-billion fund for coronavirus response was and is being used? Have the weeks made us more patient, more generous to the poor, made us love ourselves and our families more?
Photos and videos of empty cities, airports and stadiums around the world, blue skies above skylines, mountain ranges suddenly visible from a hundred kilometers away, animals roaming city streets — it feels like we’re in someone else’s reality; like our time now is that one second between turning a light switch off and on again to test if the light bulb has burned out.
March was an eternity ago, April has vanished, and May — as other countries are easing restrictions — is giving us a preview of the new reality. The world has changed and so should we, but how?
The New York Times reported at the start of April that “the worldwide economic downturn could be especially deep and lengthy, with recovery limited by continued anxiety.”
In the Philippines, Luzon is predicted to have an economic meltdown, many small and medium businesses are sure to shutter permanently, personal debts — from the middle class to wage earners — will grow. Rent during the lockdown can be deferred for six months from the moment it’s lifted — but you still have to pay. It’s the same with credit cards, they’re waiving late charges but not the interest — and definitely not the balance.
The UK’s Oxfam reported in a study that “half-a-billion people could be pushed into poverty by coronavirus” with the shutdown of economies. “This could set back the fight against poverty by a decade, and as much as 30 years in some regions… Over half the global population could be living in poverty in the aftermath of the pandemic.”
What about travel? Many airlines will require passengers to wear face masks. Airasia, for example, states on its website a “no mask, no boarding” policy once flights resume. Experts have said that by the time we can all step out of our homes, it’s to wave goodbye to budget travel as the new reality is that even airlines have to make sure there’s physical distancing on flights. The fewer the passengers, the more expensive it is to operate a flight, a cost that will be shouldered by passengers of course.
Forbes reported last week that “it could take two to five years before passenger numbers return to the go-go levels of 2019” even as airlines are downsizing.
Experts have said that psychological trauma is the next crisis to hit exhausted health workers and other frontliners.
Retail and consumer spending will be a different landscape. As it should be. Because one thing our now blue skies — largely due to lack of pollution from factories — have taught us is to end our conspicuous consumption, that we should be more judicious about what we buy — and where they are made.
The list is endless but one thing that never changes whatever the crisis is the need for accurate and truthful information. And kindness. Not spin or fake news, not gaslighting by government officials.
By the time we emerge from this shelter-skelter, it’ll be a different world. And hopefully a kinder, more honest one.
Visit the author’s travel blog at www.findingmyway.net. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @iamtanyalara.
THANKS to quarantine and stay at home orders, people are working late or bingeing shows until the wee hours of the morning, resulting in tired skin. American skincare brand Olay has launched a new line of products meant to address tired skin and arrest premature skin aging.
The new Regenerist Retinol24 line uses retinol as its main active ingredient. Retinol is Vitamin A and is said to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, fade dark spots, and tighten pores. This new Olay collection comes with a night moisturizer, a serum, and an eye cream.
The night moisturizer (P1,999 for 50 gm) is said to hydrate the skin for 24 hours with “its rich texture” and upon continuous use, the skin’s deeper layer will be strengthened and “look more nourished than ever,” according to a release.
The night serum (P1,999 for 30 ml) claims to rejuvenate the skin while sleeping and is called “eight hours of sleep in a bottle” so the user can wake up with younger-looking skin.
Finally, the eye cream (P1,999 for 15 ml) brightens the eye area.
All the products are available online via Watsons Online (watsons.com.ph)
A note of caution though while using products containing retinol: they may cause skin irritation especially if it’s the first time you’re using them. Products with the ingredient can take a few days to be tolerated by the skin.
THE DEPARTMENT of Agriculture (DA) will launch an application that will allow mobile phone users to directly order farm and fishery produce from producers.
The ‘ekadiwa.xyz’ app, the DA’s first such online service, is partly intended to decongest public markets and minimize the need for the public to shop for produce during the public health emergency.
“The DA, with the guidance of President Rodrigo R. Duterte and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), is committed to help ‘flatten the curve’ and promote safety and convenience to all Filipino families,” Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said.
Initial partners for the app include Zagana Inc., AgriNurture Inc., Benjabi Ventures Corp., and Mober Inc.
Logistics and delivery services providers Grab Philippines and Lalamove also signified their intent to join the program. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
THE National Electrification Administration (NEA) is discontinuing projects with an aggregate budget of P295 million to redirect the funds to the government’s COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) response.
The agency tasked to power rural communities took the recommendation of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to halt some programs to generate the said amount.
NEA committed to dropping the rollout of financial grants amounting to P250 million to electric cooperatives for post-disaster rehabilitation under Republic Act (R.A.) No. 11039, or the Electric Cooperatives Emergency and Resiliency Fund (ECERF) Act. It has allotted P500 million to implement the funding program this year.
It also suspended the allocation of P10.9 million to power local government unit and non-government organizations resettlement sites, as it saw the projects are no longer feasible for completion within the year.
R.A. No. 11469 or the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act authorizes President Rodrigo R. Duterte to suspend Executive-led agencies’ programs, activities, or projects whose allotments are unobligated and to add these funds on the government’s efforts against COVID-19.
Recently, NEA turned over P1.35 billion of unused subsidies and dividends to the Bureau of the Treasury to contribute to the government’s COVID-19 relief operations. — Adam J. Ang
YIELDS ON government securities (GS) fell last week on expectations of rate cuts from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
On average, GS yields dropped 19.2 basis points (bps) week on week, according to the PHP Bloomberg Valuation (PHP BVAL) Service Reference Rates published on the Philippine Dealing System’s website as of April 30.
At the secondary market, GS yields fell across-the-board at the close of trading last Thursday. The 91-, 182- and 364-day Treasury bills (T-bills) declined by 10.5 bps, 9.9 bps, and 28.5 bps, respectively, to 2.974%, 3.064%, and 3.010%.
Debt papers at the belly also dropped with the two-, three-, four-, five-, and seven-year Treasury bonds (T-bonds) falling 23.1 bps (to 3.077%), 21.2 bps (3.159%), 19.2 bps (3.236%), 18.3 bps (3.305%), and 19.8 bps (3.413%).
The 10-, 20-, and 25-year T-bonds went down 27.3 bps, 18.1 bps, and 15.3 bps from the previous week to fetch 3.490%, 4.321% and 4.465%.
Analysts attributed the decline to investors’ expectations of more aggressive actions from the BSP.
“Follow-through buying pushed yields lower versus [previous] week over BSP’s pronouncements of another possible rate cut and its willingness to utilize a wider set of monetary policy tools at its disposal,” First Metro Asset Management, Inc. (FAMI) said in an e-mail.
“With supportive policies from BSP and strong liquidity in the market, T-bills auction and FXTN 5-74 reissuance were also well demanded,” it added, referring to the five-year T-bonds reissued last week.
In a mobile phone message, Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort said the decline was caused by expectations of further cuts on the policy rate and banks’ reserve requirement ratio during a sharp decline in global oil prices that could drag inflation slower.
“The latest $2.35-billion global US dollar bond issuance of the Philippine government earlier [last] week also helped ease local interest rates… as this somewhat reduces the need for the government to borrow from the local market (less crowding out effects) to finance its stimulus measures and COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) program,” Mr. Ricafort added.
In a television interview last week, BSP Governor Benjamin E. Diokno said that monetary easing is “still in the agenda” as the country tries to minimize the impact of COVID-19 on the economy.
The Monetary Board (MB) canceled its May 21 meeting after the 50-bp cut in benchmark policy rates in an off-cycle meeting on April 16 meant to boost lending. The move, along with earlier 50-bp and 25-bp cuts this year, left the reverse repurchase rate at 2.75%, the lowest on record and since the BSP shifted to an interest rate corridor in 2016.
Mr. Diokno said they will observe current developments as monetary policy works with a lag. The MB’s next scheduled policy-setting meeting will be on June 25.
Last week also saw the government offering 10- and 25-year dollar-denominated senior unsecured bonds that will be used for “general purposes, including budgetary support.” The Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) on Tuesday said it sold $1.35 billion and $1 billion for the 25- and 10-year dollar bonds, respectively.
For this week, RCBC’s Mr. Ricafort said markets will look to domestic economic reports such as inflation and the gross domestic product (GDP) data, for leads.
Inflation and factory output data will be reported Tuesday, May 5. Meanwhile, data on trade and GDP will be released on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.
For FAMI, the lack of catalysts will influence the market to trade sideways and remain at current levels on prolonged extended community quarantine measures.
“We think April inflation will fall within BSP’s projections of 1.9-2.7% despite upward pressure coming from higher food prices and electricity rates. Furthermore, [first-quarter] GDP numbers won’t probably reflect yet the impact of the pandemic hence, macroeconomic indicators slated for release in early May have been broadly priced into current yields’ levels,” FAMI said. — Marissa Mae M. Ramos
Monica Angelique Ramos entry for National Museum’s coloring set — CREDIT: MONICA ANGELIQUE RAMOS
CCP Online
The following shows are premiering online this week: Ballet Philippines in Firebird and Other Ballets on May 5, 3 p.m.; Kung Paano Ako Naging Leading Lady, written by Carlo Vergara and directed by Chris Martinez for Virgin Labfest 9, on May 7, 3 p.m.; and actress-singer Bituin Escalante belts out well-loved Filipino songs in Triple Threats: Everything in Bituin on May 9, 3 p.m. Access the shows through bit.ly/CCPOnlineYT.
To keep in touch with art lovers, Silverlens presents Art Boost, an online drive to maintain engagement with art through social media, exhibition catalogues, and videos. The current At Home With series features Bernardo Pacquing, Hanna Pettyjohn, and Chati Coronel. Revisit contemporary artist Gary-Ross Pastrana’s notes on collage making; and Mit Jai Inn’s use of light, color, and structure in his Actantis exhibit. Visit Silverlens’ official social media accounts and its website (https://www.silverlensgalleries.com/) to view the exhibitions.
The BioBalance Wellness Institute offers the following services and features: free online consultation with its clinical nutritionist and nurse practitioners, wellness expert psychologist; online health and immunity risk assessment; and more payment options for availed services and products. For more information, contact 0917-521-4860 or concierge@biobalanceinstitute.com.
IkotMNL tour from home
The Museo de Intramuros, Ayala Museum, and Presidential Museum and Library in Malacañang Palace have partnered with Google to put their works online. Learn new things at home and visit the museums through a virtual tour: https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/malacanang-presidential-museum-and-library; https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/ayala-museum; and https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/intramuros-administration.
MegaMoveTunaMax
To keep its promise of encouraging a healthy lifestyle, Mega Tuna launches #MegaMoveTunaMax, a series of Facebook Live events featuring fitness classes. The fitness sessions will run all Mondays of May via the official Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/megapuretuna/). Week 1: HIIT; Week 2: Pop Dance (tentative); Week 3: Total Body Workout; and Week 4: Hip Hop Dance (tentative).
CAST recordings on Spotify
CAST PH offers CAST Recording, a collection of one act plays, recorded online and released as radio/audio drama. The first recordings are A Matter of Husbands by Ferenc Molnár, featuring Pinky Amador and Giannina Ocampo-Van Hoven; and Enemies by Neith Boyce and Hutchins Hapgood, featuring David Bianco and Jennifer Blair-Bianco. Listen at https://open.spotify.com/show/5bLSOsJPkZnlaEFDfSSHbl?si=fDsW-kNpT6iP89En-dWbog.
National Bookstore delivery
National Book Store has reopened its branch in Cubao, Quezon City and now offers delivery services for its supplies to selected areas around Metro Manila. For orders from Marikina, San Juan, and Quezon City, contact 0917-631-1374; Mandaluyong, Pasig, Pateros, and Taguig contact 0917-834-3224; Caloocan, Manila, Navotas, and Valenzuela, contact 0917-302-7475; Makati, Muntinlupa, Parañaque, Pasay, and Las Piñas, contact 0917-791-0916. Orders are accepted on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Film masterclasses
Learn film concepts through interviews and film retrospectives from more than 60 directors, producers, writers, and actors including Bong Joon Ho, Abbas Kiarostami, Agnès Varda, Spike Lee, Werner Herzog (with Roger Ebert), Jane Campion, Jodie Foster, Todd Haynes, Ang Lee, Jessica Lange, and Clint Eastwood. To watch, visit https://walkerart.org/magazine/series/dialogues-film-retrospectives.
National Theatre online
LONDON’S National Theatre launched National Theatre at Home on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/user/ntdiscovertheatre). Every Thursday (7 p.m. BST, 2 p.m. EST) they will release free to watch shows which will be online for one week. Danny Boyle’s adaptation of Frankenstein, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller, premiered on April 30. Shakespeare’s Anthony and Cleopatra, starring Ralph Fiennes, premieres on May 8.
Fully Booked delivery
FULLY BOOKED is back in business for book orders (https://www.fullybookedonline.com/). In a Facebook post, Fully Book stated: “[O]ur Lazada and Shopee stores will be back online, too. Please do expect some delays and changes in our processes.” For advisories, visit bit.ly/fb-ecq-advisory.
English National Ballet shows online
ENGLISH National Ballet launched ENB at Home, releasing one show weekly for its Wednesday Watch Parties. The first in the lineup is Broken Wings, a Frida Kahlo-inspired production starring lead principal and ENB artistic director Tamara Rojo as Frida. It is available to stream for free for 48 hours. Watch at https://www.youtube.com/user/enballet or https://www.facebook.com/EnglishNationalBallet/.
BRITISH rock band Radiohead has been uploading some of its concerts via its official YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/user/radiohead). Fans of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band, known for songs like “Creep” (1992) and “Fake Plastic Trees” (1995), can watch the concerts Live from a Tent in Dublin (2000) and Live in Berlin (2006).
David Guetta: United at Home
FRENCH DJ David Guetta, the man behind the song “Titanium” (2011) featuring singer SIA, held a live concert fundraiser inside his Miami home benefitting the World Health Organization and other charities. The two-hour concert is currently available on his YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/user/davidguettavevo).
Josh Groban concerts
JOSH Groban brings his concerts to your home via online, streaming every Thursday on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/user/joshgroban). The second concert in the series, Stages: Live (2016), premiered on April 30. The singer has also includes commentary throughout each film. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/JoshGroban/.
Worldwide Concert for Our Culture
JAZZ at Lincoln Center’s annual Spring Gala: Worldwide Concert for Our Culture is now available to stream online. The honorees of the event are Clarence Otis and Jacqueline L. Bradley (Ed Bradley Award for Leadership in Jazz) and Phil Schaap (Jazz at Lincoln Center Award for Artistic Excellence). Performers at the gala include: Wynton Marsalis, Cecile McLorin Salvant and Sullivan Fortner, Chucho Valdes, Nduduzo Makhathini, and Baqir Abbas. For more information, visit jazz.org/gala2020. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/IjJbZetCvGw.
Dior’s Designer of Dreams exhibition
DIOR’S exhibition titled Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams is now available to view online. Originally held at Paris’ Musée des Arts Décoratifs from 2017 to 2018, the exhibition traces the evolution of the house of Dior from post-war Paris to the present through a behind-the-scenes in-the-making of the exhibition, plus a virtual tour of its rooms. Visit Dior’s YouTube channel to watch the documentary (https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1521&v=FLWDWzMrkBE&feature=emb_title).
Frank Lloyd Wright virtual tours
THE Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, in partnership with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and Unity Temple Restoration Foundation is offering #WrightVirtualVisits every Thursdays (1 p.m. Eastern/10 a.m. Pacific time) in participating sites. Check the participating sites at https://savewright.org/news/public-wright-sites-swap-virtual-visits/.
Movie night with Jamie Lee Curtis
EVERY Saturday (in the Philippines) until May 8, Lionsgate and Fandango’s Movie Clips YouTube channels will be streaming films. On May 2, watch La La Land (2016) by Damien Chazelle, and John Wick (2014) by Chad Stahelski. Aside from the screening, Ms. Lee Curtis will also engage with the online audience via real-time chats and movie trivia.
Color Tolkien characters
THE official Facebook page of the late author J.R.R. Tolkien has uploaded an illustration of Smaug the Magnificent from The Hobbit Movie Trilogy Colouring Book. Download the coloring sheet at https://bit.ly/2wKY3lp.
MoMA free courses online
After offering virtual tours, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is now offering free online courses. The courses include a series of five free classes for contemporary art, fashion, and photography. It includes readings and exercises which can be completed within 12 to 38 hours. For details, visit https://www.coursera.org/moma.
Print & Play activities for kids
Keep kids entertained with new curated Print & Play activities from HP. The activities from craft making, mazes, dot-to-dot drawing and puzzles are suitable for ages 2 to 12. With HP Print & Play, parents can choose from a range of activities that are best suited to their children’s needs to achieve the best possible learning outcomes. To try the activities, visit https://www8.hp.com/ph/en/printers/printandplay/index.html?jumpid=va_u19mhncewr.
Harry Potter exhibit online
The British Library’s Harry Potter: A History of Magic exhibition is available online through Google Arts and Culture. Its features include video clips and sketches, a Q&A with exhibit curator Julian Harrison. To view, visit https://artsandculture.google.com/project/harry-potter-a-history-of-magic.
Hogwarts Is Here, an online version of the Harry Potter series’ magical school by Harry Potter fans that allows visitors to take courses like the characters from J.K. Rowling’s book series. Various courses include Astronomy, Herbology, History of Magic, and Transfiguration. The website also includes a forum, groups, and library feature. Visit http://www.hogwartsishere.com/.
Stories After Dark features podcasts on Philippine true crime and mystery stories. It currently has 14 episodes including The Maguindanao Massacre (2009), The Ozone Disco Fire (1996), and Pepsi Paloma: Rape or Publicity Stunt? Suicide or Murder? (1982/1985). To listen, visit https://www.facebook.com/storiesafterdarkph/.
Palacio de Memoria virtual tour
Art and history enthusiasts can now go on a virtual tour of Palacio de Memoria, the resplendent Colonial Revival mansion, and marvel at its luxurious facilities and hundreds of Euro-Filipino paintings, sculptures, art displays, and historical pieces online. It features the showroom of Palacio de Memoria’s auction house, Casa de Memoria or the Casa, which houses the Lhuilliers’ unrivalled collection of antiques, the Mosphil Lounge, and a passenger plane that that was refitted to be a lounge for special occasions. To view the complete Palacio de Memoria’s virtual tour, visit https://www.palaciodememoria.com/tours. For more updates, follow @thepalaciodememoria on Facebook and @palacio.de.memoria on Instagram.
LOCAL SHARES are seen to climb this week as investors expect a recovery in some sectors with the easing of rules for areas under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and general community quarantine (GCQ).
The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) rose 56.74 points or 1% to 5,700.71 on Thursday. This sustained the main index’s weekly climb for a second straight week, recording an increase of 4.3% last week.
Value turnover slipped 1.4% to an average of P4.95 billion, while net foreign selling grew 8.4% to an average of P669.95 million.
The local market was closed on Friday in observance of Labor Day.
“Prospects of modified lifting of ECQ provided hope for equities players, pushing the PSEi 235 points higher to 5,700,” online brokerage 2TradeAsia.com said in a market note.
“Part of the positive mood was aided by the launch of ‘Operation Warp Speed’ in the US, that aims to gather private pharmaceutical firms to cut the development time for a vaccine on COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) by as much as eight months,” it added.
The government issued last week its updated guide on areas observing GCQ starting May 1, which will allow the resumption of operations of some non-essential establishments such as malls and shopping centers.
The mood of investors this week will remain focused on positive developments in the COVID-19 pandemic, 2TradeAsia.com said.
“With a structured approach on mass testing, listed firms are emerging with clearer focus from the ECQ, specifically to their resumption trajectory, this time, fortified with risk contingency measures,” it said.
“(P)articipants should get a picture of how things would unfold for the ECQ-GCQ transition mode, with virtual briefings in place from select stocks,” it added.
Scheduled to hold their briefings this week are Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co.; Cemex Holdings Philippines, Inc.; Globe Telecom, Inc.; Metro Pacific Investments Corp.; International Container Terminal Services, Inc.; and Integrated Micro-Electronics, Inc.
For Philstocks Financial, Inc. Research Associate Piper Chaucer E. Tan, developments in Wall Street will also push activity in the local bourse, after White House signaled new tariffs on China because of its handling of the coronavirus crisis.
“I think the market catalyst for this week is development in the US markets, how it will react to the coronavirus tariffs. These tariff issues have (arisen), and as we know, these tariffs affect market in a negative way,” he said in a text message yesterday.
He also said the market may be on wait-and-see mode, as seen in the consolidated movement of the PSEi in the past two weeks. “I expect this week to be within the (5,440-6,000) range also,” Mr. Tan said.
2TradeAsia.com is putting immediate support for the PSEi within 5,500-5,600 and resistance within 5,800-5,900.
