Interest rates sink to 25-year low
Thursday, February 19, 2015
The rate cut will come as a boon for borrowers as commercial banks are expected to reduce their lending rates by a similar margin, taking the prime-lending rate down to eight percent.
In the prevailing period of static real incomes, the central bank’s move will also boost the welfare of the general consumer as it comes a week after fuel prices were reduced for the second time in as many months.
Whilst celebrating milestones in inclusivity, with notably P5 billion awarded to vulnerable groups, the report sounds a 'siren' on a dangerous and growing trend: the ballooning use of micro-procurement. That this method, designed for small-scale, efficient purchases, now accounts for a staggering 25% (P8 billion) of total procurement value is not a sign of agility, but a 'red flag'. The PPRA’s warning is unequivocal and must be...