The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business

By Alvin I. Dacanay  For many beauty-pageant watchers in the Philippines and around the world, there will only be one question on their minds when the 65th Miss Universe Competition reaches its climax at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on Monday (Manila time): Who will win the coveted title? 

By Alvin I. Dacanay  Last Tuesday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Ampas) revealed online its list of nominees for the 89th Academy Awards. As expected, this year’s list offers several surprises, among these Mel Gibson’s best-director nomination for the World War II drama Hacksaw Ridge and the exclusion of Arrival’s Amy Adams from the best actress category. 

New theater company Sugid Productions Inc., in collaboration with the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Foundation, is staging Chris Millado’s 1985 play Buwan at Baril sa E-flat Major (Moon and Gun in E-flat Major) as its maiden production at the Ambassador Alfonso T. Yuchengco Auditorium of the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Center in Quezon City until February 12. 

Beautifully handcrafted neckpieces made by the Artisan Women of Tondo from upcycled Coca-Cola pull tabs recently took center stage during one of the preliminary events for the 65th Miss Universe Pageant. 

A joint survey of the Japan Center for Economic Review and business pub­lication Nikkei Asian Review showed that the impact of President Donald Trump’s impact in Southeast Asia will differ by country but is expected to be beneficial for the Philippines.

By Luis Leoncio The government would provide additional cash doles to the 10 million poorest families, aside from their regular stipends under the Pantawid Pamily­ang Pilipino Program (4Ps), once Congress approves the Department of Finance (DOF) proposal to increase the ex­cise tax on oil products.

Proposals to amend the so-called sin tax law to revert to a two-tier sin tax system, em­bodied in a bill that has been approved by the House of Representatives, may have to wait longer as the Senate said it would still review the overall impact of the Sin Tax Reform Law.

Talk about collateral dam­age.

By Riza Lozada Ten of the country’s big cit­ies stood out in development, based on a study conducted by property research Lamudi Philippines. The research saw the debut of President Duter­te’s Davao City as one of Philip­pines’s Top Ten cities to watch.

The administration of new US President Donald Trump announced two key policy actions to fire off his four-year term as the United States government announced its withdrawal from a sweeping Pacific free trade pact while Trump signed an executive order regarding Obamacare.