Economy
Australian investors with A$1.4 trillion scout Philippine deals
Australian institutional investors overseeing nearly A$1.4 trillion in assets are in the Philippines this week to scout deals in energy, infrastructure, and other strategic sectors, bringing a potentially deep pool of long-term capital to the country.
Philippine jobless rate up as more seek jobs
The Philippine labor market took a sharper turn in July as unemployment climbed to 6.0 percent, even as more Filipinos entered the workforce, pointing to a widening gap between the number of people seeking jobs and available opportunities.
PH CEOs remain confident as innovation struggles to scale
Philippine chief executives remain confident about business prospects, but many companies are struggling to turn growing investments in innovation and artificial intelligence into programs that can scale across their organizations.
PH seeks Japan banana crown as tariff talks advance
The Philippines is seeking to regain its position as Japan’s top banana supplier as Manila pushes for lower tariffs in the ongoing review of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA).
Foreign currency reserves hold firm at $104.8 billion in August
The country’s foreign currency reserves stood strong at $104.8 billion as of the end of August 2026, driven by higher global gold prices and earnings from foreign investments, according to preliminary data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. Although government withdrawals to pay off foreign debt offset some gains, the overall buffer remains well above global safety standards.
