Philippine inflation eased to a five-month low of 6.1 percent in August, offering some relief after prices accelerated sharply earlier this year, but the reading remained elevated enough to underscore the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ decision to raise interest rates last week.
Treasury bill yields rose across all tenors at Monday’s auction as investors priced in the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ recent rate hike and the possibility of further monetary tightening.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas on Thursday delivered a preemptive 25-basis-point rate hike and left the door open to further tightening as stubborn inflationary pressures threaten to keep prices above the central bank’s target range.
Moody’s Ratings affirmed the Philippines’ Baa2 sovereign credit rating on Monday, citing expectations that the government’s fiscal position will stabilize over the next two years despite a sharp slowdown in economic growth.
Treasury bill yields were mostly higher at Monday’s auction as investors appeared to price in the possibility of tighter monetary policy ahead of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ interest rate-setting meeting later this week.
Japan’s Mitsubishi Corp. has expanded its investment in Ayala Corp. through a share purchase valued at roughly P44.5 billion, lifting its economic ownership from 4.7 percent to 15 percent and its voting interest to 20 percent, at an agreed price of P650 per common share.
Major fuel firms are rolling out another round of steep price rises, marking the third consecutive week of big adjustments and prompting companies to split the increases across two days to soften immediate impact.
The Philippine government launched the milk component of the 2026 School-Based Feeding Program at Quirino Elementary School in Quezon City on Monday, bringing locally produced milk to about 4.6 million learners nationwide while building a reliable market for Filipino dairy farmers.
Broader use of alternative data, coupled with risk-based regulation and stronger consumer safeguards, could help widen formal credit access for Filipino microentrepreneurs, according to digital lender Tala.