AI trade outlook brightens on falling oil and Meta’s Muse agent ahead of Xi-Trump meeting

South China Morning Post - Sep 23, 2026

The global artificial intelligence trade is staging a comeback, as a confluence of falling oil prices, Meta Platforms’ launch of a new agentic tool and anticipation surrounding the China-US leadership summit reignite investor interest in technology stocks. The Nasdaq-100 Index – where tech firms make up nearly 70 per cent of the 100 companies featured – hit an all-time high on Tuesday, surpassing the previous record set in June. In Asia, China’s chip-heavy Star Market 50 Index and South Korea’s...

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Sep 23, 2026

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MANILA, Philippines — The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) may cap its tightening cycle with one more rate hike to help weather volatility stemming from a hawkish US Federal Reserve (Fed). In a note to clients, economists at Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. (ANZ) said such a response is needed as the Philippines—much like

Asean digital economy pact to ease trade, payments

Sep 23, 2026

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MANILA, Philippines — The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) has begun to lay down concrete projects that would anchor its landmark Digital Economy Framework Agreement (Defa), which is expected to come into force next year. The Singaporean government, which will lead the 11-member regional bloc next year as its chair, said projects that would define

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Sep 23, 2026

ICC clears P2.5-B National ID project upgrade

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has secured the go-ahead from the Investment Coordination Committee-Cabinet Committee to move forward with its P2.48-billion project to upgrade the national ID system with the help of the private sector. The approval clears the way for the PSA to proceed to the procurement stage, where it will

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Sep 23, 2026

GCash IPO draws strong investor demand

MANILA, Global institutional investors are lining up for Mynt Inc.’s blockbuster initial public offering (IPO), boosting prospects for what could become the largest listing in Philippine history. According to a Bloomberg report, International Finance Corp., BlackRock, Capital Group and Schroders are among the investors seeking to participate in the offer. READ: GCash gets PSE approval

ICTSI secures $1-B loan from BDO Unibank

Sep 23, 2026

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Smart grooms AI platform as new revenue stream

Sep 23, 2026

Smart grooms AI platform as new revenue stream

MANILA, Philippines — PLDT Inc.’s wireless arm Smart Communications Inc. expects its newly launched artificial intelligence (AI) platform to become a new revenue stream as it explores embedding the technology into e-commerce and other digital transactions. On Tuesday, Smart first vice president Lloyd Manaloto said AI.Smart had already attracted paying users following its soft launch,

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MANILA, Philippines — Already the world’s largest free trade agreement, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is widening its ambitions as it prepares rules that could pave the way for five more economies to join the existing trade bloc. At the Asean meetings in Manila on Monday, RCEP ministers agreed to establish an ad hoc

Aboitiz energy startup gears up for expansion

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Sep 23, 2026

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MANILA, Philippines — A company that earns billions of pesos every year is usually considered successful. If its profits remain positive and return on equity (ROE) is respectable, we may assume that management is creating value for shareholders. But ROE can sometimes be misleading. Two companies may generate similar ROEs, yet shareholders may demand different

Rising US scrutiny on clinical trials could threaten China’s biotech advantage: analysts

Sep 23, 2026

Rising US scrutiny on clinical trials could threaten China’s biotech advantage: analysts

China’s edge in fast, cost-effective early clinical trials has propelled its emergence as a global biopharmaceutical powerhouse, but there is a risk that the United States could take steps to curb that advantage, according to analysts. US lawmakers and officials at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have raised the alarm about American pharmaceutical companies’ growing reliance on conducting early clinical trials in China, flagging the opaqueness of the process and the need to keep medical...

BIZ BUZZ: Time’s up for Casanova banker

Sep 23, 2026

BIZ BUZZ: Time’s up for Casanova banker

MANILA, Philippines — What’s hotter than the unnerving foreign exchange and bond price swings in the dealing room these days? It’s the chatter about this high-ranking treasury veteran who’s about to leave (or lose?) his post at a local bank. On one hand, the guy has told some people that he’s quitting because he will never

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