SEC to allow cross-border publication of ASEAN capital market reports
THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION (SEC) has drafted guidelines as part of a regionwide move to allow capital market professionals from Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members to issue research reports outside their home countries.
‘Imminent’ acceleration of infrastructure spending to fuel economic growth
AN ‘IMMINENT’ ACCELERATION of Philippine investment growth -- especially as the government speeds up infrastructure spending this semester after a four-month budget delay crimped expenditures in the first half -- should fuel faster economic growth next year, according to a July 5 HSBC Global Research ASEAN Perspectives report.
Inflation slowest in almost two years in June
INFLATION eased in June to post its slowest reading in almost two years, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported on Friday, giving more room for the central bank to continue loosening monetary policy.
Factory output continues to decline
FACTORY OUTPUT posted its sixth consecutive month of decline in May albeit at a slower pace, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported on Friday.
Fitch: Banks to ride PHL’s ‘robust’ growth
THE PHILIPPINES’ “fairly robust” economic growth -- though below official target so far -- can be expected to generate profit and expansion opportunities for banks in the country, Fitch Ratings said on Thursday, adding that liquidity conditions will likely ease further due to central bank steps to loosen monetary policy in step with much of the world.
BSP chief says change to Constitution now would be ‘disruptive’ to economy
CHANGING the Constitution in the second half of President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s six-year term that began in mid-2016 would be “disruptive” to the economy, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin E. Diokno said in an interview televised on Thursday.
Caution pressed in renewable energy push
A PLAN to expand the country’s renewable energy (RE) portfolio needs “careful study” -- even if it is a step in the right direction -- in order to prevent passing the burden to consumers, the chairman of the Senate’s energy panel said.
DoE seeks oil contract counterproposals
THE DEPARTMENT of Energy (DoE) has invited local and foreign challengers to the three applications for petroleum service contracts in three areas in the Philippines outside the 14 pre-determined areas it had offered to exploration companies.
PHL an outlier in slowing Asia-Pacific M&A market
THE PHILIPPINES was the fastest-growing market in the Asia- Pacific (APAC) region ex-Japan in terms of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) last semester, driven by the consolidation of one of the country’s largest cement players.
Central bank chief sees ‘a lot of policy space’
MONETARY AUTHORITIES will have “a lot of policy space” ahead amid global monetary policy easing and as inflation slows further next quarter, the head of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said on Wednesday.
Senators shun top post in tax committee due to political stigma
THERE are still no takers for chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means due to the “stigma” attached to tax measures, Majority Leader Juan Miguel F. Zubiri told reporters on Wednesday.
PHL firms’ confidence eases, still highest
BUSINESSMEN in the Philippines have turned out to be the most bullish globally, according to a press statement released on Tuesday by P&A Grant Thornton that summarized findings of Grant Thornton’s International Business Report (IBR) for the first half, even as net optimism was down one and nine points from 2018’s first and second semesters, respectively.