The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business

By Luis Leoncio  The country’s growth estimate for this year received another downgrade in the run-up to the national elections in May, as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cut its 2016 projections to 5.7 percent, from 6 percent; and next year’s to 6.2 percent, from 6.3 percent. 

By Dean dela Paz  The first promise was when Benigno Aquino III, still then a new president and still enjoying his political honeymoon, complete with his newly draped attendant mantle of trust, had boldly told businessmen across the country, then taking off from a 7.3-percent gross domestic product (GDP) growth during the last year of the previous administration, would henceforth be …

President Aquino has authorized the conferment of medals of honor on the 44 Special Action Force (SAF) commandos of the Philippine National Police who died in battle in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, in commemorative rites on Monday marking the first anniversary of the ill-fated mission. 

By Luis Leoncio (First part) Globe Telecom has called on the government to make Internet infrastructure among its first priorities to enable businesses to realize their full capabilities amid the strong economic growth and robust digitization of various industries. 

By Riza Lozada The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has said it will not intervene in the foreign-currency market, even as the peso continues its slide to record lows. 

By Riza Lozada Diversified giants Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) and LT Group Inc. (LTG) have joined forces to develop a 35-hectare town project with integrated and mixed-used facilities in Pasig City and Quezon City.

The Philippines got another ratings upgrade from South Korean-based NICE Investors Service, which hiked by a notch its investment grade rating for the country. 

Fried-chicken store chain operator Max’s Group Inc. (MGI) is banking on its pizza unit Yellow Cab to make inroads in China as the Chinese palate for Western food grows particularly for the pizza market, which is currently estimated to be worth $2 billion a year.

State pension fund Social Security System (SSS) refuted allegations of inefficiency saying that in terms of collection performance, it has 88 percent efficiency against allegations of a low 38 percent efficiency. 

It is hard to deny it. No matter how much our current and prospective officials constantly boast of the resplendent gross domestic productivity (GDP) growth that they imagine leaves comparable economies in the region not only far behind us but eating the dust in the wake of our incredible economic advances, the relative size of our agricultural sector matched against …