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.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows, the kind that stays invested in the country, dropped by 20 percent on net basis in January this year, totaling USD731 million, down from USD914 million a year ago, according to data released by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
Average rates on Treasury bills were mixed in Monday's auction, with six-month and 12-month debt papers seeing a softening of yields due to expectations of further rate cuts by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). However, uncertainty continued to push yields on three-month bills higher.
Philippine inflation decelerated to 1.8 percent in March, its slowest pace since the 1.6 percent registered in May 2020 when the economic activities was challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic-related lockdowns. This decline, down from 2.1 percent in February, was largely driven by lower food prices, particularly rice, which saw a significant annual decrease.
One year after taking over operations of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), New NAIA Infrastructure Corp. (NNIC) is set to roll out a new facial recognition system powered by Collins Aerospace, allowing passengers to check in, drop bags, clear security, and board using only their face.
Unilever Philippines has renewed its partnership with First Gen Corp., the country’s leading renewable energy (RE) producer, to power seven of its production and distribution sites with approximately 10 megawatts of geothermal energy.
The Marcos Jr. administration has expanded its flagship affordable rice initiative to the transport sector, with over 57,000 public transport workers now set to benefit from P20 per kilo rice under the “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!” program.
Manulife Investment Management is advising investors to adopt a barbell investment strategy in response to the unexpected uptick in the country's inflation rate in August. The strategy, aimed at navigating an increasingly uncertain interest rate environment, involves allocating capital to short-term bonds to benefit from immediate policy rate adjustments, while selectively adding long-term bond exposure if inflation expectations remain anchored.