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MAJORITY of Filipinos still did not have bank accounts as of 2017 due to lack of funds to meet required minimum balances, a study of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed.

THE PHILIPPINES’ rank in terms of innovation was unchanged from a year ago, despite “high scores” in business environment, education and information and communications technology (ICT), according to an annual report of the Cornell University, INSEAD and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

NEW YORK -- The amount of debt held by both mature and emerging markets tracked by the Institute of International Finance (IIF) rose to a record $247 trillion in the first quarter of 2018, up 11.1% from the same period a year ago.

MERCHANDISE exports slid for the fifth straight month in May while imports grew further, albeit at a slower pace, driving the trade deficit to its widest level so far this year, according to latest trade data the government released on Tuesday.

FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENTS (FDI) inflows rose further in April to a six-month peak, the central bank said in a statement on Tuesday, supported by solid investor optimism towards the Philippines.

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte and his Cabinet approved in a July 9 meeting the proposed P3.757-trillion national budget for 2019 that is designed to help spur faster overall economic growth that will also lift more Filipinos out of poverty by the time he ends his six-year term in mid-2022.

THE IMPACT of the escalating trade row between the United States and China should remain “negligible” for now, a senior central bank official said, noting that Philippine reliance on the affected goods has been “negligible” so far.

THE GOVERNMENT plans to borrow up to P1.189 trillion in 2019 to help finance its spending plan, 33.85% more than the P888.23 billion initially programmed for this year, National Treasurer Rosalia V. De Leon told reporters in a mobile phone message on Monday.

THE proposed new constitution will keep restrictions on foreign ownership of companies, land and public utilities, but ease limits in media and advertising, according to a draft of the charter released on Monday.

OUTBOUND SALES of Philippine goods likely recovered in May but were not enough to stop the trade gap from growing further, analysts at ANZ Research said.

SINGAPORE -- Global debt is becoming a bigger worry as the global policy tightening cycle takes hold, a top boss at the World Bank warned Monday.

LAST WEEK’s increase in jeepney fares has added to inflation pressures, which state economic managers have expected to peak this quarter.