The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business

By Jerry Maglunog The government has borrowed $2 billion (P86 billion) more from the international capital market through 25-year dollar-denominated bonds, further raising the already record-high foreign debt under the Aquino administration.

President Aquino will leave his successor with P6.4 trillion in national government outstanding debt, P4.16 trillion of it in borrowings made during his term, according to the fiscal watchdog, said the Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC), a budget watchdog.

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines acquired six A350-900 aircraft, with option for another six of the aircraft in a major refleeting drive as regional airlines prepare for an expanded market with the start of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Economic Community (AEC).

The board of Boulevard Holdings Inc. (BHI) approved the increase of its unit Friday’s Holdings Inc.’s (FHI) authorized capital stock by P266 million.

Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) reported a net income of P17.6 billion for last year, up by 19 percent on consolidated revenues of P107.2 billion which improved by 13 percent mainly attributable to growth drivers comprised of established and emerging estates.

Conglomerate LT Group Inc. through its subsidiary Tanduay Holdings Inc. bought 131,863,677 shares or approximately 4.5 percent of the total outstanding and issued shares of Victorias Milling Corp.(VMC) worth P660 million.

Both the notorious cliques composed of the presidential kaklase and kabarilan had exactly the same fear. For the others, whether sycophant, suck-up or just plain vanilla kaibigan, it was nearly certain that there was a desperate need to resort to wholesale and massive cheating.

It is disheartening to note that the government refuses to acknowledge the problem that is now hitting our overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in the Middle East, with the huge drop in crude oil prices. That precipitous decline in oil prices by almost 70 percent, from a high of over $100 a barrel, has already resulted in a host of financial …

The campaign team of presidential candidate, former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, may have stumbled upon the elusive answer to the question “how do we put our candidate ahead in the race?”

By Yoo Seungki Seoul—South Korea is divided on whether to deploy a sophisticated US missile defense system in its territory over worries about the expected escalation of regional tensions and the unproven plausibility of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (Thaad), both militarily and environmentally.