The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business

By Doug Ferguson / The Associated Press Jason Day’s drive. Jordan Spieth’s flop shot. Zach Johnson’s putt. 

By Alvin I. Dacanay Another scandal is shaking, rattling and rolling the 41st Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF). 

The CineFilipino film festival, organized by Unitel Productions in partnership with the MVP Group of Companies, promises to offer from February 2 to 8, 2016 a fresh spin on independent or “indie” films: more moving stories and a wider range of genres.

Story and photos by Alvin I. Dacanay Early this month, a midscale hotel bearing a globally recognized brand formally opened at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone in Zambales province. This hotel—Best Western Plus Hotel Subic—is the first of its kind in the former United States naval base, and the first in the world to carry the Phoenix, Arizona-headquartered hotel and …

By Luis Leoncio  Some P279.3 billion that the national government (NG) advanced to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) after it was created in 1993 to pay off debts of the old Central Bank (CB) was disbursed against the law, tantamount to “unauthorized use of funds,” according to a 2014 Commission on Audit (CoA) report on the Bureau of Treasury …

The Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) is venturing into hydroelectric power through a partnership with Repower Energy Development Corp. (REDC), starting with projects worth P18.8 billion. 

The rivalry in the already tight telecommunications market is expected to become fierce, as a third player—after giants Philippine Long Distance Co. and Globe Telecom—is expected to join the fray soon. 

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said the country’s macroeconomic environment, one of the 12 major pillars of the competitiveness report, has improved by 44 ranks from 68th to 24th. He also reported that Congress enacted “game-changing” laws to bolster competitiveness of the economy and sustain economic growth that made the nation one of the best performers among the emerging economies. The …

London-based Barclays does not see the need for the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to raise rates until the second quarter of 2017 because of the stable economy and low inflation rate. 

Food manufacturer Rebisco Group founder Jacinto Ng Sr. topped the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s (BIR) biggest 500 individual taxpayers for 2014, dislodging last year’s topnotcher, eight-division boxing champ and Sarangani Representative Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao.