Gold prices dipped below USD3,370 per ounce on Wednesday, extending their retreat from Tuesday’s record high of USD3,500, as investor sentiment improved amid signs of easing geopolitical and monetary tensions.
The National Food Authority (NFA) has built up a buffer stock equivalent to 7.17 million 50-kilogram bags of milled rice—a volume enough to feed all Filipinos for nine days.
The country's balance of payments (BOP) stood as a deficit of USD2 billion in March, a sharp reversal from the USD1.2 billion surplus recorded in the same month last year, according to data released by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
Inflation in the Philippines could ease further in April, following a drop to 1.8 percent in March—the slowest pace since May 2020—if rice prices continue to decline in the latter half of the month.
The government is ramping up efforts to modernize its maritime security forces, with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) opening bidding for the acquisition of 40 fast patrol crafts (FPCs) worth P25.75 billion for the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).