MANILA, Philippines - ING Manila expects the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to keep its policy settings unchanged on its next policy meeting next week as inflation remains manageable and domestic growth continue to be strong. “We believe there is no compelling reason to alter current BSP monetary policy settings,” the bank said in a research note yesterday. “The slightly higher February headline and core inflation and developing energy price pressures in the coming months argue for a steady policy stance for now,” ING said. Inflation climbed to 2.5 percent in February from 2.4 percent in January on increases in pump prices and other utility rates. The 2.4-average in the first two months of the years is well-within the government’s two to four percent target for inflation this year. Continue reading...
