Economy

MANILA, Philippines – The economy will be able to absorb any adjustments in monetary policy settings as potential capacity has already gone up, a Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas official said.

Most indicators show economy remains robust – BSP MANILA, Philippines – The robust economic growth achieved by the country is expected to be sustained in the first quarter, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said.

Improvements in the local economy’s efficiency and productivity have made the Philippines’s output growth more resilient to external and internal shocks, a senior official from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said the country’s local output growth, measured as the gross domestic product (GDP), could prove above 6 percent until 2015, according to an ADB Outlook (ADO) report for 2014.

PARIS – The Philippines, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Ethiopia are among 10 countries set to take over as emerging economies from the powerful BRICS nations as they struggle with growing pains, a French credit body said on Tuesday.

MANILA – Like its boxing icon Manny Pacquiao, who was shockingly knocked out by an opponent but found redemption in his next fight, the Philippines should bounce back in 2014 after a deadly blow by typhoon “Yolanda” last year.

PHILIPPINE economic growth could slow to 5.8% this year, Moody’s Analytics yesterday said, in line with projected sluggishness in other Asia-Pacific countries as downside risks within and outside the region persist.

MANILA, Philippines – The World Bank (WB) has revised its economic growth targets for the Philippines this year from 6.7 percent to a slightly slower 6.6 percent.

A VISITING Fitch Ratings team flagged the sustainability of the country’s over 7% growth as a concern and left without a clear signal as to whether the latest annual review will yield another upgrade anytime soon, policy makers said over the weekend.

MANILA, Philippines – Business confidence in the first quarter of 2014 fell to its lowest level in two and a half years, dampened by a weak peso and a slowdown in consumer demand.

Boost to come from higher infra spending, consumption MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine economy is seen to expand by 7.5 to 8 percent this year, driven largely by the expected increase in the government’s infrastructure spending and continued robust consumption, according to the Metrobank-led First Metro Investment Corp. (FMIC).

The Aquino administration has less than half of a six-year term left, highlighting the need to step up decision-making and implementation of reforms to generate more jobs and spur inclusive growth, business leaders said Wednesday.

The Aquino administration may have most likely posted significant gains in implementing the necessary reforms and recommendations proposed under the Arangkada Philippines report, the latest assessment for which will be out this week.

MONEY, investments and almost every other decision we make in life are based on our perception of reality, not on reality itself. You married your spouse because of your perception that he or she is the best person to spend the rest of your life with. You bought that new shirt and pair of shoes…

Philippine President Benigno Aquino said there is no danger of the economy overheating, downplaying the risk of asset bubbles forming even as annual growth exceeds 7 percent. The central bank is on guard to contain inflation and asset prices, Aquino, 54, said in an interview yesterday at the presidential palace in Manila. The Philippines is…

The economy may slow down this quarter from the previous on slacking imports, tourism, electricity consumption and volatility in financial markets, according to an index of 11 key data collated by the state statistics office.

Foreign businessmen say the Philippine economy must grow by 9 percent every year to reduce poverty. The American and Australian Chambers of Commerce say the economy’s current performance of 7 percent has yet to translate to more jobs, which it said could be created if government boosts the manufacturing sector. But the group says discouraging…

How much of our recent economic growth benefits the Philippine countryside? Too little, it seems. Agriculture, the most dominant economic activity in rural areas, contributed a mere 0.1 percentage point to the 6.5 percent gross domestic product growth in the final quarter of 2013, while services and industry contributed 3.5 and 2.8 percentage points respectively.…

UK firm warns of major setback in 2016 leadership change MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine economy is expected to continue expanding between 6.5 and seven percent in the next decade but London-based Capital Economics warned that the change in leadership in 2016 could be a major setback for the country.

Sustaining President Aquino’s reform initiatives will be key to keeping the Philippine economy growing above-trend. MANILA – The Philippine economy can sustain its above-trend growth in the next 10 years provided that government reform continues, according to Capital Economics.

The research arm of an international credit watcher lauded the Philippines path toward good government and appropriate policies, and said this would support the growth of the country toward the next year.

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine economic expansion may not settle within the government’s 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent target this year, GlobalSource Partners said, amid a lack of new growth drivers.

MANILA, Philippines – Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. (ANZ) has revised its 2014 economic growth outlook for the Philippines to 7.3 percent after the gross domestic product (GDP) zoomed by a better-than-expected 7.2 percent last year.

JP Morgan expert takes contrary view to market consensus Philippine equity prices can rise by about 20 percent this year in line with much brighter prospects for emerging markets across the globe, an investment expert from JP Morgan Securities said.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine economy is expected to slow down this year to 6.7 percent from 7.2 percent in 2013, due to modest growth in consumer spending as government projects have yet to fully take off, a Standard Chartered Bank official said.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revised its forecast for the Philippine economy upwards as improving conditions in rich countries drive stronger demand for the nation’s exports.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Wednesday raised its 2014 economic growth projection for the Philippines while cutting the regional outlook, saying Manila will get a boost from higher exports and the reconstruction of areas hit by Typhoon Yolanda.

Reconstruction in areas devastated by Typhoon Yolanda is expected to fuel economic expansion this year MANILA – The Philippine economy again will grow faster than its neighbors but is unlikely to meet its target in 2014, according to the United Nations.

(Updated 12:06 p.m.) Majority of Filipinos think the quality of life in the Philippines deteriorated in the past year after natural disasters, including super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), hit parts of the country during the past few months, a Pulse Asia survey revealed Monday.

The Philippines needs to sustain reforms toward competitiveness and in governance to reach a higher growth trajectory, a World Bank economist said.