The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business

Car owners are up in arms over the hare-brained scheme hatched by some smart guys at the Land Transportation Office (LTO) requiring vehicle owners to pay an additional P450 to acquire new license plates for their old vehicles.

Game Changers by JJ Atencio This column will explore and talk about success, the kind that comes from game-changing innovation that makes the business a market disruptor.

By the end of next year, the local stock market will have one trading floor as it moves its headquarters from Makati City to Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City, after bourse operator, Philippine Stock Exchange Inc. (PSE) signed a deal with Fort Bonifacio Development Corp. for the PSE headquarters and its unified trading floor worth P805.37 million.

Listed mass-housing developer 8990 Holdings Inc. is set to launch nine projects mostly in the Visayas and Mindanao to beef up its inventory of housing units. In addition to the new projects, the 10 ongoing projects will provide a total of 19 projects equivalent to 11,083 housing units for a total gross value of P10 billion this year.

By Riza Lozada All banknotes issued in 1985 or earlier ceases to become a legal tender starting 2017, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said last week as it launched an information campaign on the demonetization.

Yangon, Myanmar—UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday urged Southeast Asian nations to deal with the causes behind a growing humanitarian crisis that has forced thousands of Rohingya from Myanmar and Bangladeshi migrants to flee by sea, leaving many still stranded in boats.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia—A suicide bomber unleashed a blast in a Shiite mosque in eastern Saudi Arabia as worshippers commemorated the birth of a revered saint, killing at least 21 people and wounding dozens more in the deadliest attack seen in the kingdom in more than a decade. Loyalists of the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the bombing.

By Alvin I. Dacanay Indie films Barber’s Tales and Dagitab received the highest number of nominations—11 each—for the 38th Gawad Urian, which was revealed last week on a list that features several high-profile names in the acting categories and reflects the continued love shown to Philippine independent movies by respected film critics’ group Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino (MPP).

By Ma. Cristina C. Arayata / Philippines News Agency Do you remember My Husband’s Lover? This groundbreaking GMA-7 teleserye tackled several social issues, chief among these is gay rights. And there’s another GMA-7 teleserye being aired now—The Rich Man’s Daughter, which deals with lesbianism.

In his compilation of articles from his Wall Street Journal column, “Ask Ariely,” Dan Ariely wraps in a clever bow all the questions we’ve ever wanted answered concerning the behavioral intricacies that dictate the decisions we make.