Treasury bill yields continued to ease at Monday’s auction, with the rate on the benchmark 91-day paper slipping below 5 percent as cooling inflation strengthened expectations for a more accommodative monetary policy.
Philippine markets may stay on edge as investors juggle Middle East risks, oil prices and the next move by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, but fading rate-hike bets are giving both the peso and stocks some breathing room.
Philippine inflation slowed for a second straight month in July, reinforcing expectations that price pressures are gradually easing even as households continue to grapple with elevated costs for food, electricity and transport.
The Bureau of the Treasury fully awarded P50 billion worth of Treasury bills on Monday after robust investor demand drove borrowing costs lower across all tenors, signaling growing confidence that inflationary pressures may be easing despite lingering risks from energy prices.
Philippine financial markets are entering a pivotal week as investors weigh a heavy lineup of economic data, corporate earnings, and global developments that could shape sentiment and expectations for monetary policy.
Philippine Seven Corp. (PSC), the operator of 7-Eleven convenience stores in the country, has reported a significant dip in sales, by as much as 20 percent, attributed to the incessant monsoon rains experienced over the past two weeks. Despite a strong performance up until July, bolstered by its annual "7-11 day" promotion, the company acknowledges the sensitivity of its sales to adverse weather conditions.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) reported a P1.42 billion damage to the agriculture sector due to the enhanced southwest monsoon (Habagat) and Tropical Cyclones Luis and Maymay, as of August 17. This figure rose from P1.03 billion earlier that day.
To boost business operations and lower digital transaction hurdles across the country, the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) has waived all PESONet transfer fees for payments processed through the Pay Non-BPI disbursement feature on its corporate platform, BPI BizLink.
Tech Data, a TD SYNNEX company and leading global IT solutions distributor, has announced the expansion of its IBM distribution network. The initiative covers 20 new markets across Asia Pacific, Europe, and Latin America. In the Asia Pacific region, the expansion adds six new markets – Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia (operating under the Tech Data brand there), Indonesia, Cambodia, and the Philippines. This builds on the company’s existing IBM operations in Australia, India, Singapore, and Vietnam, bringing the total number of APJ markets supported to ten.