Strong El Niño may drive up food, power costs in 2027

Inquirer.net - Oct 9, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — With inflation already accelerating this year, an economist warned that the looming strong El Niño could worsen it further by shrinking agricultural production and driving up electricity costs. Sonny Africa, executive director of think tank Ibon Foundation, said the extreme weather phenomenon could not come at a worse time, as the country

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SEC eyes P120M minimum paid-up capital for broker-dealers

Oct 9, 2026

SEC eyes P120M minimum paid-up capital for broker-dealers

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Friday said it is proposing to raise the minimum capital floor for broker-dealers to update its capitalization rules, making it in line with international market standards.

China holiday travel spikes, global funds shift: 5 figures investors are watching in China

Oct 9, 2026

China holiday travel spikes, global funds shift: 5 figures investors are watching in China

Hong Kong’s property market showed renewed strength as a Kowloon residential site fetched its highest price in nearly five years, while the city’s pension funds posted solid gains despite a September setback. Meanwhile, global investors returned to Chinese equities after years of caution, as US Treasury yields surged to multi-decade highs. Here are some of the figures that have drawn the most market attention this week. China records 2.14 billion passenger trips over National Day holiday China...

The Wrong Pill

Oct 9, 2026

The Wrong Pill

MANILA, Philippines — We have all joked about the handwriting of doctors. Most of us hand our prescription over to the drugstore counter, pay for whatever is handed back to us, and not bother to take a second look at the box as we trust the person behind the counter to read the prescription correctly and

LRMC: Strategies being rolled out to address congestion at LRT-1 PITX Station

Oct 9, 2026

LRMC: Strategies being rolled out to address congestion at LRT-1 PITX Station

Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC), the private operator of Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1), on Friday said it is addressing crowd flow and passenger congestion at the PITX Station of LRT-1.

Survey: Filipinos lost P121B to scams in 2025

Oct 9, 2026

Survey: Filipinos lost P121B to scams in 2025

MANILA, Philippines — Scams cost Filipino consumers an estimated P121.8 billion over the past year as exposure to fraudulent schemes continued to climb, with more than eight in 10 adults encountering scammers, according to the latest report by the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (Gasa). In its 2026 State of Scams report, Gasa said that 84 percent

PAL extends suspension of Manila-Riyadh flights

Oct 9, 2026

PAL extends suspension of Manila-Riyadh flights

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) on Friday announced it is extending the suspension of its Riyadh flights due to escalating tensions in the Middle East.

Hong Kong faces limited impact if Fed curbs access to US dollar funding facility: analysts

Oct 9, 2026

Hong Kong faces limited impact if Fed curbs access to US dollar funding facility: analysts

A US lawmaker’s call for a review of Hong Kong’s access to a Federal Reserve facility that provides short-term US dollar funding would have limited impact on the city as it is not a regular source of financing, according to analysts, who said any restriction could instead weaken the US dollar’s global dominance. John Moolenaar, chairman of the House Select Committee on China, has written to US Federal Reserve chairman Kevin Warsh urging a review of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s (HKMA)...

PH eyes Bulacan as global AI hardware gateway

Oct 9, 2026

PH eyes Bulacan as global AI hardware gateway

The Philippines is eyeing Bulacan as a gateway for artificial intelligence (AI) compute hardware for Asia and the world, as part of a long-term industrial strategy that extends beyond the planned Pax Silica hub in New Clark City.

Property development affected by inflation, infrastructure freeze, Gatchalian warns

Oct 9, 2026

Property development affected by inflation, infrastructure freeze, Gatchalian warns

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said that rising living costs, a sharp drop in public works spending, and slowing economic growth continue to drag on property development.

Can China use its widening US yield gap to boost the yuan’s global role?

Oct 9, 2026

Can China use its widening US yield gap to boost the yuan’s global role?

China should seize a window opened by the widening US-China yield gap to strengthen the financing, hedging and asset-absorption systems behind the yuan, turning its cyclical low-interest-rate advantage into lasting global use of the currency, according to a researcher from a Beijing-based governmental think tank. The 10-year US Treasury yield was 5.22 per cent on Thursday, compared with 1.69 per cent for Chinese government bonds on their first trading day after the National Day holiday – a gap...

Peso sinks to fresh record low of 62.90:$1

Oct 9, 2026

Peso sinks to fresh record low of 62.90:$1

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine peso fell to a new record low on Thursday as expectations of higher US interest rates strengthened the dollar. The peso weakened 15 centavos to close at 62.90 per dollar, surpassing its previous record-low close of 62.86 set on Sept. 14, according to data from the Bankers Association of the Philippines.

100-km NCR busway boost pushed

Oct 9, 2026

100-km NCR busway boost pushed

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is planning three new high-capacity bus corridors spanning more than 100 kilometers (km) across Metro Manila, building on the existing EDSA Busway to improve public transport connectivity in the capital region. Transportation Undersecretary Mark Pastor said the proposed corridors would run along C5, Quezon Avenue and Ortigas-Aurora. READ:

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