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THE PHILIPPINES raised 2.5 billion renminbi ($363.3 million) from its second sale of so-called “panda” bonds that saw strong demand from investors, the Treasury bureau and the Bank of China, sole underwriter for the exercise, announced in separate statements.

THE SAME SIX local firms made it to the latest Forbes Global 2000 list of the world’s biggest, most powerful and most valuable public companies.

THE PHILIPPINES returned to China’s bond market on Wednesday after more than a year, offering 2.5 billion renminbi ($363.3 million) in three-year papers amid perceived strong investor demand.

EMERGING results of the May 13 mid-term elections showing President Rodrigo R. Duterte will likely consolidate his influence on lawmakers, especially those in the Senate, will mean stronger impetus for reform but also carry long-term political risk, Fitch Solutions Macro Research said in a May 14 note e-mailed to journalists on Wednesday.

THE CIVIL Aeronautics Board (CAB) will not penalize Cebu Pacific for its spate of flight cancellations in two weeks from end-April to early May, but is requiring the budget carrier to submit a concrete plan of action to prevent recurrence of the problem.

DOMINATION of the Senate race by bets endorsed by or associated with President Rodrigo R. Duterte promises to revive the impetus for reforms in his last three years in office, analysts agreed on Tuesday, and Malacañang lost no time in listing prompt approval of the P4.1-trillion 2020 national budget and a shift to a federal form of government among its priorities for the 18^th Congress that opens its first regular session on July 22.

DAYS after the government raised €750 million ($842.33 million) in eight-year euro-denominated bonds, the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) said the planned yuan-denominated “panda” bonds could be issued within the week, even as the government monitors market conditions abroad.

AUTO SALES in April roughly steadied from a year ago, even as they dipped from the preceding month, according to latest data which the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) and the Truck Manufacturers Association sent to reporters on Tuesday.

SOUTH PREMIERE Power Corp. (SPPC), a unit of listed conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC), topped the list of entities with the biggest unpaid loans to the government agency tasked to privatize state energy assets, the Finance department said on Tuesday.

PHILIPPINE gross domestic product (GDP) expansion should pick up this year despite disappointing first-quarter growth, Moody’s Analytics said over the weekend, citing a boost from continued monetary policy loosening that can be expected from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) as inflation eases further.

ELECTIONS are widely believed to have a growth-inducing effect on an economy.

LAND BANK of the Philippines (LANDBANK) is still keen on acquiring majority stake in Philippine Dealing System Holdings Corp. (PDSHC), operator of the country’s fixed-income bourse, and is updating its proposal.