The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business

The Manila Symphony Orchestra doesn’t run out of spectacles. On September 27, 2025, at Aliw Theater in Pasay City, the MSO Foundation Inc. and Standard Insurance, in partnership with EastWest Bank, Tchaikovsky’s timeless melodies come to life in “Dancing with Tchaikovsky” concert, featuring the Festival Coronation March, Rococo Variations for Cello and Orchestra, and a suite from the ballet Sleeping …

The Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. (PDIC) on Friday cautioned the public against fake official receipts (ORs) being used in transactions involving closed banks under liquidation. According to PDIC, the counterfeit ORs carry the old PDIC logo, contain misspellings, falsified signatures of personnel, and deviate from the standard format of genuine PDIC-issued receipts. The agency reminded clients to transact only with …

Foreign direct investments (FDIs) posted net inflows of USD376 million in June, down 17.8 percent from USD457 million in the same month last year, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported last week. The decline was mainly due to non-residents shifting their equity capital investments from USD85 million inflows in June 2024 to USD57 million outflows this year. This was …

The Department of Finance (DOF) recently denied reports that South Korea suspended a ₱28 billion official development assistance (ODA) loan to the Philippines due to corruption issues.a “As regards the supposed ₱28 billion ODA loan between South Korea and the Philippines, the Department of Finance categorically clarifies that no such loan exists,” the DOF said in a statement. The agency …

The average rate of the five-year Treasury bond (T-bond) fell to 5.772 percent during Tuesday’s auction, down from 5.896 percent in the July 1 issuance, the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) reported. Despite the lower rate, the BTr’s auction committee made a full award of P30 billion as bids reached P79.67 billion—more than twice the offer. Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation …

The Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) is extending the bulk of a P100-billion Syndicated Term Loan Facility to the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM) to boost fiscal sustainability and energy sector reforms. LANDBANK committed P60 billion, or 60% of the facility, which will be used to augment PSALM’s working capital, refinance existing liabilities, and settle domestic …

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has launched a full-scale probe into the alleged use of fake driver’s licenses by a group of former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) engineers, now infamously tagged as the “Bulacan Group of Contractors” or BGC Boys, to gain entry into casinos. LTO Chief Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza II said Friday that the agency’s …

Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto has urged the public to stay vigilant against efforts to distort the truth in the Senate’s ongoing probe into the multibillion-peso flood control scandal. Speaking at a House tri-committee hearing, Sotto cautioned against taking at face value the explosive testimonies of controversial couple Cezarah Rowena “Sarah” and Pacific “Curlee” Discaya, who linked several lawmakers and …

With the proposed Universal Social Pension still awaiting passage in Congress, Senator Loren Legarda is pushing a separate measure that seeks to grant indigent senior citizens a P1,000 monthly stipend for their maintenance medicines. Through Senate Bill No. 164, or the Monthly Maintenance Medication Support for Senior Citizens Act, Legarda said the program aims to ease the financial burden of …

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has signed Proclamation No. 1020, officially declaring the second week of September every year as National Pensioners’ Week. The proclamation recognizes the invaluable contributions of Filipino pensioners while ensuring their welfare through stronger social protection programs. The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and the Social Security System (SSS) were designated as lead agencies to spearhead …