Tag: Mark T. Amoguis

SHANGHAI, CHINA -- Payments provider Visa, Inc. unveiled a three-year road map that aimed to strengthen payments security in the Philippines, where many Filipinos still prefer to use cash over credit despite the rise of e-commerce.

IN THE PHILIPPINES, one would have to get used to brownouts, or the drop in voltage in an electrical power supply system. Whether or not it is intentional, these outages have wide-ranging effects on the economy: households would experience no electricity for a few minutes or even for hours, causing great inconvenience; businesses would incur higher costs by way of lost revenue and reduced productivity; and investors would be hesitant to do business, leading to reduced investments.

YIELDS ON government securities (GS) edged lower as they continued to track US Treasuries’ decline due to a possible Federal Reserve rate cut within the year.

A DAY after the release of the 2019 World Competitiveness Report showing the Philippines partially recovering from a nine-notch fall on a list of 63 economies but still second to the last in Asia and the Pacific, President Rodrigo R. Duterte assured a gathering of Japanese businessmen in Tokyo of a “corruption-free” business environment in which he would meet “in 24 hours” with anyone who has a complaint about “hindrances, obstruction or outright corruption.”

YIELDS ON government securities (GS) ended flat last week, mirroring the safe-haven US Treasuries as they dropped on the back of ongoing trade war between the world’s two largest economies.

THE FURTHER EASING in domestic inflation buoyed investor sentiment for much of the first quarter this year even as upside risks — mostly from the external front — remain.

AYALA LAND, Inc. (ALI) was one of the most actively traded stocks last week following the easing in monetary policy as well as traders speculating on the timing of the company’s plans to conduct a real estate investment trust (REIT) listing on the stock exchange this year.

ECONOMISTS expect gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the first quarter to be weighed down primarily by the impact of the delayed enactment of the 2019 national budget despite household spending and private sector investment picking up, according to results of a BusinessWorld poll.

THE COUNTRY’s trade-in-goods deficit widened in February as exports contracted while imports grew at a slower pace, the government reported on Thursday.

YIELDS on government securities (GS) inched up last week as market players took profit ahead of the release of slower-than-expected March inflation data.

INVESTORS were cautious last year on property stocks amid high interest rates that increased borrowing costs, but market watchers still consider the sector on their shopping lists account of strong demand for residential, office and retail spaces.

INFLATION for low-income families softened further in February even as it stayed in five-percent territory, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported on Thursday.

YIELDS ON government securities (GS) ended flat last week as investors took profit following the settlement of the government’s retail Treasury bond (RTB) offering.

FACTORY output posted its second consecutive month of decline in January, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported on Tuesday.

FACTORY output posted its second consecutive month of decline in January, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported this morning. Preliminary results of the PSA's latest...

YEARS of robust economic growth have given rise to a middle-class with increased disposable incomes. Some of these incomes are splurged on consumption and luxury items, while some are put off in savings accounts for good use. But with measly interest rates, who would want to let their cash sit idly by? What better use is saved cash for?

INTERNATIONAL CONTAINER Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) was one of the most actively traded stocks in the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) last week with analysts pointing to ICTSI Chairman Enrique K. Razon, Jr.’s interest in taking over a bankrupt Subic-based shipbuilder, the company’s expansion plans abroad, and the rebalancing of a global equity index that increased the stock’s weight as driving factors.

YIELDS ON government securities moved sideways last week on better-than-expected January inflation data and the central bank’s decision to keep rates steady.

THE OVERALL INCREASE in prices of widely used goods cooled for the third straight month in January, marking the slowest year-on-year reading in 10 months and making the case for monetary authorities to keep interest rates steady at their meeting on Thursday.

INFLATION continued to decelerate in January, the government reported this morning.

LABOR turnover at large firms eased in the third quarter as hiring slowed, according to a report by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

THE Philippines is looking to tap Israeli expertise and investment to develop the agriculture sector, the Department of Agriculture said.

PROSPECTS OF SM Prime Holdings, Inc.’s reclamation projects in Manila Bay were dimmed by the government’s planned rehabilitation efforts there, making it the most actively traded issue on the market last week.

YIELDS ON government securities dropped last week as market players reacted further to easing inflation expectations as well as the dovish tone of the US Federal Reserve meeting’s minutes.

MANUFACTURING growth decelerated for the fourth consecutive month in November to its slowest pace so far in 2018, even as it was better than the year-ago contraction, the Philippine Statistical Authority reported on Friday (PSA).

By Mark T. Amoguis, Researcher Manufacturing output eased further in November, the government reported this morning. Preliminary results of the Philippine Statistics Authority's (PSA) latest Monthly...

DOMESTIC TRADE, both in terms of volume and value, increased during the third quarter, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

YIELDS ON government securities were flat last week after the central bank kept policy settings steady amid easing inflation expectations.

WITH THE LOCAL stock market showing signs of recovery, investors may consider bank stocks as banks gradually reprice their loan portfolios following the successive interest rate hikes from the central bank.

CHELSEA Logistics Holdings Corp. (CLC) was one of the most actively traded stocks last week following the official announcement of the Mislatel Consortium -- of which CLC is a member – as the country’s new third telecommunications provider.

YIELDS on government securities (GS) went down last week after the release of steady October inflation as well as slower third-quarter economic growth data, which may prompt the central bank to moderate its policy tightening at its meeting this week.

INVESTORS started to unload some of their shares in San Miguel Food and Beverage, Inc. (SMFB) after its parent company San Miguel Corp. slashed by almost half the size of its unit’s planned follow-on offering.

YIELDS on government securities went up last week as market players stayed cautious ahead of expectations of a faster September inflation print.