Bank Indonesia (BI) will dominate ownership of the nation’s “pandemic bonds” as the government seeks to safeguard the economy from COVID-19 at the risk of a rising debt burden, including from its longest ever 50-year bond tenure, economists say. Bank Permata chief economist Josua Pardede said that foreign investors would be reluctant to buy risky […]
Read MoreMANILA, Philippines – Economic managers have highlighted President Duterte’s newly-acquired powers to tinker on the budget as an assurance funding is sufficient for a coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) response, with culled data showing the government already raising nearly P800 billion for that purpose. In a statement on Tuesday, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III pointed to Republic Act […]
Read MoreThailand’s inflation rate may be as low as -1% this year as the escalating spread of Covid-19 has weakened overall domestic demand. Pimchanok Vonkorpon, director-general of the Trade Policy and Strategy Office, the planning unit of the Commerce Ministry, said a -1% inflation rate would be Thailand’s lowest ever. The inflation rate was -0.9% in […]
Read MoreMANILA, Philippines — Local manufacturing bounced back in February, but the recovery could prove to be short-lived as the lockdown of Luzon, which just got extended, forced businesses to close shops, including factories. The volume of production index— a measure of factory output— rose 3% in February, up from a 5.2% drop the month before […]
Read MoreAs the coronavirus pandemic penetrates more deeply into global supply chains, prices for key staples are starting to soar in some parts of the world. Rice and wheat – crops that account for about a third of the world’s calories – have been making rapid climbs in spot and futures markets. For countries that rely […]
Read MoreLast year, the lead indicator of passenger arrivals by air saw Phnom Penh exceed 2 million, surging past Siem Reap for the first time in a decade. Research by hospitality consulting group C9 Hotelworks has also captured data showing a steady sustained growth trajectory, as passenger arrivals recorded double-digit growth rates from 2012 through 2018, […]
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Thailand
