Business

By Jerry Maglunog United Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB) may be one of the top unibanks in the country, but the government is having a hard time selling it because of its political baggage. When the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp.(PDIC) announced last year that the government is selling its 72.2-percent stake in the bank, four unibanks immediately sent their intention to buy the …

A further rise in government spending for April 2015 is seen to perk up the economy for the rest of the year, an economist at investment bank ING said. ING Bank Manila senior economist Joey Cuyegkeng said they “believe that the trend of accelerated spending would continue.”

Luxembourg—Haven’t we been here before? The last time Greece was facing a hard deadline to secure a deal with its bailout creditors, in February, it agreed to one only when it feared a worst-case scenario—a run on the country’s banks.

New York—The burger chain that put “supersize” into the American vernacular is slimming down: For the first time in more than 40 years, and perhaps ever, McDonald’s says its number of restaurants in the US is shrinking.

Tokyo—From the slopes of Mount Fuji to the temple streets of Kyoto, tourists are cramming Japan’s prime sightseeing spots, puzzling their way through Tokyo subways, and splashing out cash on cosmetics, sushi and high-tech toilet seats.

Washington—United States President Barack Obama’s trade agenda appears to be back on track after an extraordinary bipartisan rescue operation mounted in the week since it was derailed in the House of Representatives by rebellious Democrats backed by organized labor.

By Jerry Maglunog Stock trading is not well accepted among majority of the 100 million Filipinos, according to John Mangun, a leading authority in stock trading. “Most Filipinos view stock trading as gamble that’s why so many are not keen on it,” the stock trader said.

All Nippon Airways (ANA) and United Airlines through the Asia Joint Venture (JV) Simple program will provide a complimentary corporate travel program that aims to support small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) based in Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam when their employees travel on business.

Maybank ATR Kim Eng Securities Inc. (MATRKE Securities) was again awarded the Philippines’ Best Broker by FinanceAsia in its Country Awards for Achievement 2015, an annual look at the best financial services firms in each country around the region.

The World Bank (WB) has noted that growth in the Philippines is becoming more inclusive. “The Philippines now has achieved macroeconomic stability. It has had high growth rates for quite a number of years and more recently, that’s the important point, it is starting to show the kind of growth which is more inclusive,” WB Philippines lead economist Rogier van …