Trade & Investments

The Philippines’ trade deficit widened sharply in July as imports continued to outpace exports, with the country’s merchandise trade gap expanding by nearly 35 percent from a year earlier, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

A University of the Philippines study is urging the government to consider using the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) to finance a dedicated semiconductor development fund that could help the Philippines move into higher-value segments of the global chip industry.

The Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority is positioning its sprawling economic zone in Casiguran, Aurora as a potential defense-industrial hub as the Philippines strengthens strategic infrastructure along its Pacific seaboard.

Manulife Investments Philippines sees opportunities for investors to lock in elevated yields while preparing portfolios for an eventual shift in the country’s monetary cycle, favoring income, diversification, and flexibility over aggressive bets on an imminent rate cut.

The US is reviewing new Philippine safeguards against forced-labor imports as negotiations continue over Washington’s 12.5-percent tariff, while the Department of Trade and Industry said only about 30 percent of Philippine exports to the US are covered by the levy.