PSEi extends decline on economic growth worries

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines and the European Union (EU) have successfully concluded talks on a landmark free trade agreement (FTA), a deal expected to liberalize access for Manila’s goods to the regional bloc of about 450 million people, and vice versa. Trade Secretary Cristina Roque and EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Šefčovič

Foreign investors continue to pile into Hong Kong’s commercial real estate, with a unit of online retail giant Amazon and Singapore-headquartered Shorea Capital among the latest to snap up assets, according to agents. Shorea won the tender for The Pemberton, a mixed office and retail property in Sheung Wan, for an undisclosed amount, Colliers said, underscoring Southeast Asian investors’ continuing robust demand for real estate assets in Hong Kong. Colliers was the lead agent and broker for the...

Beijing and Hong Kong are laying the groundwork for a new phase of offshore yuan development and other goals after the city unveiled its first five-year plan, with banking and securities regulators set to provide more details on Wednesday. The city’s market regulator, the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), would outline further details of the blueprint, chairman Kelvin Wong Tin-yau said on Monday. Hong Kong Monetary Authority chief executive Eddie Yue Wai-man is also expected to elaborate...

US asset manager BlackRock has obtained Qualified Domestic Institutional Investor (QDII) status in China, making it the first wholly foreign-owned public fund manager to obtain the qualification, with more such developments likely as Beijing signals broader financial opening. This qualification allows firms to raise funds in China and deploy part or all of the proceeds for overseas securities investment management through asset portfolios. New York-based Neuberger Berman, another foreign-owned...

An independent Asia-Pacific equity-capital-markets research firm Aequitas Research is tracking the upcoming initial public offering of Mynt Inc., the parent company of GCash, placing the PSE-approved listing among significant regional equity-market transactions being watched by investors.

Television maker Hisense Group Holdings’ optical communications unit made a steady debut in Hong Kong after raising HK$5.6 billion (US$714 million), adding momentum to a fresh wave of mainland Chinese conglomerates spinning off business units to tap overseas capital and support technology expansion. Shares of fibre-optic communications equipment maker Ligent Technologies jumped as much as 19.2 per cent on Tuesday morning, valuing the company at more than HK$35 billion. The stock pared early...

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) said Tuesday its one-time Abatement Program for Micro Taxpayers received more than 6,234 applications during the first two months of the initiative's implementation.

MANIBELA renews call for fare increase amid rising fuel prices

PLDT Inc."s wireless unit, Smart Communications Inc., is partnering with artificial intelligence (AI) orchestration platform Avtica in a bid to make AI tools more accessible and affordable.

The Department of Energy (DOE) does not foresee oil prices going down to pre-war levels anytime soon amid the prolonged conflict in the Middle East.

Hong Kong’s stock market is getting a dose of optimism from mainland China’s 41 trillion yuan (US$6.1 trillion) insurance industry, as some insurers are widely speculated to have bought exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the city one month after regulators approved such purchases. Market observers highlighted a spike in trading volume for several Hong Kong-listed ETFs on Monday as evidence of buying by the mainland insurance companies. The National Financial Regulatory Administration, the watchdog...

Many people across Asia are generally positive about their healthcare experiences, according to research by Economist Impact, commissioned by Prudential. However, the report also found that satisfaction levels vary widely across markets, with more than 80 per cent admitting they have delayed seeking care. The report, “Patient voices: experiences of healthcare access in Asia,” is based on a survey of 4,200 people conducted from April to May 2025, and examines the patient experience in Hong Kong,...