Treasury bill yields rose across all maturities at Monday’s auction as the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ recent rate hike pushed borrowing costs higher and investors braced for the possibility of further monetary tightening.
Filipino micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) could gain wider access to financing and regional markets as ASEAN moves toward deeper digital integration, but barriers to formalization and differing regulations must first be addressed, according to Mynt, operator of GCash.
Many Filipino working adults find themselves raising children, caring for aging parents, and planning their own future all at once. This group, known as the sandwich generation, stretches finances across two generations daily.
East West Banking Corp., led by the Gotianun family, has set the price range for its stock rights offering at P10.80 to P11.05 per share, with a par value of P10 each. The bank targets to raise around P9 billion through the offer, which will be listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange.
The slight cooling of headline inflation to 6.1 percent in August from 6.2 percent in July provides a welcome breathing room, but it remains far from a signal for the central bank to ease its stance. Lower meat and vegetable prices helped pull down overall food inflation, though the decline was largely muted by accelerating rice costs and expensive transport amid persistent global oil strength. According to Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) lead economist Emilio S. Neri, Jr., this temporary easing is unlikely to alter the trajectory of monetary policy. He says that the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) will likely stay on a tightening path, potentially raising the policy rate by 25 basis points in each of its final two meetings this year to hit 5.50 percent.