The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business

By Lindsey Bahr / The Associated Press Los Angeles—Dwayne Johnson has played his share of outsized heroes over the years. His characters have taken down crazed criminals and evil empires. He has crushed an army of fire ants with his chin. He has even flexed his way out of a plaster cast.

By Thomas Adamson / The Associated Press Cannes, France—Cannes’ red carpet can be as kind as it is cruel when it comes to fashion. For 12 days, major Hollywood actresses, such as Emily Blunt, Marion Cotillard and Naomi Watts, graced the film festival’s red carpet in clothes designed by the world’s greatest. Yet, while the best looks come to define …

Gone are the days when the language of fashion was, at best, ambiguous for men. Forget distasteful, lackluster, uninspired—men have come into their own, sartorially speaking. The rise of the modern, style-conscious man is inspired by key influencers whose serious fashion sense is changing the game for a predominantly female industry.

By Luis Leoncio The inefficient use of the budget, which economists have identified as a major cause for the Philippines economy’s failure to achieve its full potential, has become an international concern, with even a United States think tank saying that the Aquino administration, aside from misusing the budget, has also been remiss in reporting government expenditures.

Revealing details of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) investigation on the 142 bank accounts of Vice President Jejomar Binay and his associates is replete with criminal acts, and bank officials and media outfits responsible for the leakage could be held liable, according to former Makati Rep. Teddy Locsin Jr., one of the authors of the Anti-Money Laundering Act (Amla).

By Dean dela Paz (Last of two parts) A product of the peculiarities of the political slime they wallow in, the original legislators crafting the seminal anti-money laundering laws tailored, custom-designed and worked into the law safeguards to address their personal circumstances.

By Lito U. Gagni Housing industry leader and 8990 Holdings Chief Executive Officer JJ Atencio provides us in this week’s issue with insights into how the housing startup innovated its game to emerge at the top of the low-cost housing business in the country.

By Riza Lozada The government has agreed in principle to back the relaxation of the negative list for contractors to allow foreign-controlled firms to enter the booming construction activities in the country.

By Jerry Maglunog “The world is coming to Asia.” These were the words of London City lord mayor Alderman Alan Yarrow when he visited the Philippines in February this year.

The International Trademark Association and the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) during the 2015 INTA Annual Meeting in San Diego, California.