The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business

Middle East (ME) carriers that are being investigated by the US and European governments for receiving over $23 billion in government subsidies can use their unfair financial advantages against local carriers if they manage to secure new entitlements in the forthcoming bilateral air talks with the Philippines. Philippine Airlines (PAL) predicts a repeat of the Philippines’ bitter experience with abusive …

By Jerry Maglunog  An estimated 70 percent of the country’s 38 million credit and automated teller machine (ATM) cards may not be able to migrate to the Europay, Mastercard and Visa (EMV) chip from the current magnetic strip in the next two years, which should be a cause of worry for an ATM or credit-card owner. 

With a virtual gun pointed at our collective heads, its hammer pulled back, cocked, chambers loaded with deadly ordnance and a terrorist’s crooked finger itching to squeeze inside the trigger housing, such threat to accompany the double-bladed and crooked scimitar already positioned across the soft flesh of our throats, these are effectively the conditions under which we are compelled to …

Rarely so these days, if ever, isn’t it? Like most figures in what seemed a forever-landscape less than 50 years ago, Mr. Postman—Mang Mianong in my Ilocos childhood, who linked us with Papa working away in Manila—has been fast withdrawing into mere memory. 

A new Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) chairman was named recently. His appointment to the post was met with mixed reactions. 

By Jim Gomez / The Associated Press Subic, Zambales— The Philippines will go ahead with a plan to open military camps at Subic Bay facing the disputed South China Sea (West Philippine Sea) even if a proposed American military presence doesn’t happen, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said. 

By Riza Lozada The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is beefing up coins in circulation by bidding out a contract for the supply of P1.2 billion worth of new metal currencies this year, based on a bid procurement offer issued this month. 

Singaporean investment bank DBS forecasts an improvement in the country’s economic output in the second quarter. 

Washington—United States Federal Reserve (the Fed)officials appeared to edge closer last month to a decision to raise interest rates as early as September. At the same time, officials remained concerned about low inflation, sluggish wages and a sharp slowdown in China—factors that will help determine whether they raise rates next month. 

Athens, Greece—Greece was receiving the first 13 billion-euro ($14.5-billion) payment of its new bailout, with 12 billion euros earmarked for repaying debts and the remainder for settling arrears to public sector suppliers.