ECONOMIC INDICATORS

[kingsknight]

Dedicated for monitoring the general condition of the Philippine economy primarily based on Business World Research, National Statistical Coordination Board and Philippine Daily Inquirer. I believe that the condition of the Philippine economy is vital for investing and trading.

Please post additional information. Thank you.
_________________
"It was never my thinking that made the big money for me. It was always my sitting. Got that? My sitting tight!" - Jesse Livermore

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[kingsknight]

June 13, 2007 | Manila, Philippines
Economic Indicators

BY ROSANNA MINA

Wholesale prices of construction materials 5.1% higher in April

Costs of construction materials in the National Capital Region (NCR) shot up in April even though most prices were retained compared with a month ago, data from the National Statistics Office’s (NSO) show.

Wholesale prices of construction materials rose 5.1% in April, a bit softer compared with the 6.5% growth recorded last year but still faster than the 4.6% the previous month.

The NSO reported annual price gains in the costs of 20 out of 25 constructions materials monitored by the agency.

The most notable increases, though, were seen in aluminum and other metal products, electrical rough-in materials, and interior electrical fixtures and devices.

Aluminum and other metal products grew 20.3% year on year versus just 0.3% in the same period last year.

Likewise, prices of electrical rough-in materials expanded of 13.1% during the period from 4.9% last year.

On the hand, annual price decreases were noted in plywood, at -0.7% in April from -2.1% last year and -0.6% the prior month.

Prices of fuel and lubricants contracted 1.2% against a 25.9% growth the previous year.

Meanwhile, softer price increases were recorded in 15 construction materials compared with a year ago. Among these were water pipes, metal pipes, wood products, among others.

Meanwhile, of some commodity groups did not change during the period such as blasting materials, and machinery and equipment rental.

Month-on-month, the latest NSO report show a 1% increase in wholesale prices of construction materials in April from 0.2% in March.

This increase in cost was due to the 5.2% inflation in structural steel from 0.3% last month. Reinforcing steel prices also accelerated at 1.1% from 0.5%. Fuels and lubricants grew 3.5% from 1.4% the previous month.

Interior electrical fixtures and devices, and electrical rough-in materials became more expensive at a rate of 0.6% from -0.4% and -0.5%, apiece.

The rest of the commodity groups registered stable prices, registering no growth from March to April. Among these were sand, stone and gravel, lumber, plywood, wood products, asphalt, glass and glass products, PVC pipes, plumbing fixtures, galvanized iron sheets, aluminum and other metal products, exterior electrical equipment and supplies, and tileworks.

http://www.bworldonline.com/Research/economicindicators.php?id=0112
_________________
"It was never my thinking that made the big money for me. It was always my sitting. Got that? My sitting tight!" - Jesse Livermore

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[kingsknight]

June 13, 2007 | Manila, Philippines
Economic Indicators

BY LOVELY NICA P. LEE

Visitor arrivals up 15.1% at start of summer

The Philippines was home to 270,632 visitors this March, most of which were from the US and Korea.

Based on the statistics released by the Department of Tourism (DoT), visitor arrivals grew 15.1% in March compared with 235,041 visitors in the same month last year.

Visitors from the US once again topped the visitor arrivals list with a volume of 54,558, a 5.3% growth against last year’s 51,797. This brought the number of visitors from the North American region to visitors 62,782 from 58,771.

Meanwhile, Korean visitors numbered 51,404 this year compared with just 38,507 visitors the same month last year.

The 33.5% increase in the number of Korean visitors made the East Asian region -- which also constitutes China, Hongkong, Japan and Taiwan - retain its position as top source of tourists for the Philippines.

In March alone, visitors arrivals from the East Asian region hit 114,957 from just 99,407 visitors a year ago.

Department of Tourism (DoT) Secretary Joseph Ace H. Durano attributed the increase in foreign visitors, especially Koreans, to the launching in 2004 of the English as Second Language (ESL) program, which aims to help foreign students learn English.

The Philippines’ Southeast Asian neighbors remained at the third spot in the visitors list, accounting for 20,590 visitors against 17, 751 last year.

Mr. Durano said visitors from the ASEAN member countries are continuously attracted to the country’s affordable tourist destinations like Bohol, Davao, Cebu and Boracay. They have been encouraged to visit these places due to increased flight frequencies.

The Australia/Pacific region ranked fourth with 14,672 visitors while the Western Europe region landed fifth with 13,018 visitors.

Regions of the Northern Europe, South Asia, Middle East, Eastern Europe, and South America held the sixth to 10th positions, respectively.

The lowest number of visitors came from the African region, which only recorded a 20.1% increase or 33 visitors more than last year’s 164.

According to the DoT, the country aims to attract at least five million foreign visitors by 2010.

Meanwhile, the number of overseas Filipino workers who visited the country grew 21.5% in March to 19,787 from 16, 279 last year.

http://www.bworldonline.com/Research/economicindicators.php?id=0111
_________________
"It was never my thinking that made the big money for me. It was always my sitting. Got that? My sitting tight!" - Jesse Livermore

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[kingsknight]

4th Quarter 2006
GDP Grows by 4.8%

Posted 31 January 2007

Driven by the steady performance of Trade and Manufacturing, and aided by the resurgence of TCS and Private Services, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 4.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2006. The domestic economy however, suffered from three typhoons and failed to sustain its growth during the last four quarters. On the demand side, increased household spending and Merchandise Exports were the major drivers of growth. The continued vibrant growth in the Net Factor Income from Abroad (NFIA) at 18.3 percent pushed the Gross National Product (GNP) to a 5.9 percent growth, albeit lower than the 6.9 percent growth in the same quarter last year.

Sustaining its gain from the previous quarter, the seasonally adjusted estimate of the Gross Domestic Product posted a steady 0.8 percent growth in the fourth quarter of 2006. The vigorous growth of the Net Factor Income from Abroad, which is the second highest during the last eleven quarters, boosted the stable GDP growth as the seasonally adjusted Gross National Product zoomed to a 4.4 percent growth, from a contraction of 0.6 percent in the previous quarter. The growth of the seasonally adjusted GNP was the highest during the last twelve years.

In the fourth quarter, GDP growth was driven by the famously resilient Services sector, which strengthened its growth to 7.0 percent from 6.4 percent, offsetting the slowdown in Industry which grew by 3.3 percent from 4.9 percent; and the deceleration in Agriculture, Fishery and Forestry, from 3.7 percent to 1.9 percent.

Services, with a share of 48.0 percent of total GDP, contributed the most to GDP growth with 3.3 percentage points. Leading the sector’s growth were Trade, Transportation, Communication and Storage and Private Services.

Industry accounted for 31.6 percent of GDP and contributed 1.1 percentage points to total GDP growth, led by Manufacturing. It did not, however, grow as fast as in recent quarters.

Agriculture, Fishery and Forestry, which accounted for 20.4 percent of total GDP, decelerated to a 1.9 percent growth from 3.7 percent last year, contributing 0.4 percentage point to the total GDP growth. Biggest contributors to growth were Forestry, Corn, Banana, Sugarcane and Agricultural Activities & Services.

The seasonally adjusted Agriculture, Fishery and Forestry sector continued to plunge as it registered its worst performance since the second quarter of 2004, contracting by 1.6 percent in the current quarter. The improved growth of Corn and Sugarcane failed to curb the decline in Palay and Livestock and the slowdown of other agricultural products. AFF has contracted in three of the last four quarters. The revised growth of 0.2 percent of Industry in the third quarter was sustained through the fourth quarter of 2006, but still a far cry from the second quarter growth of 2.7 percent. The record growth of Electricity and Water and the turn around in Construction kept industry barely in positive territory amidst the underperforming Mining and Quarrying sector. The Services Sector continued its steady rise as it registered a hefty growth of 2.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2006, from 0.7 percent and 1.6 percent during the 2nd and 3rd quarters, respectively. The biggest contributors to the acceleration of the sector are Trade, Transportation, Communication and Storage and Private Services.

The expansion of the economy continued to keep pace with the population growth in the fourth quarter: per capita GDP grew by 2.7 percent from 3.2 percent in the previous year and per capita GNP increased by 3.8 percent from 4.8 percent. Per capita PCE accelerated to 3.6 percent from 2.9 percent.

The sustained growth in the stock of OFWs particularly in the last six quarters resulted in the growth of 14.2 percent in compensation inflow from 6.0 percent last year. This, together with the combined effect of the significant growth in Property income by 25.0 percent and the minimal growth Property expense of 5.3 percent led to the sustained double-digit growth of NFIA that started in the fourth quarter last year.

On the expenditure side, consumer spending expanded by 5.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2006 from 5.0 percent a year ago fueled by the continued hike in remittances of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). Expenditures on Food and Miscellaneous increased while expenditures on Transportation/Communication and Household Operations decreased.

After moderate increases during the two preceding quarters, Government Consumption Expenditure (GCE) accelerated to 9.3 percent in the fourth quarter from a growth of 1.1 percent last year.

Investments in Fixed Capital Formation rebound to 2.0 percent from negative 4.6 percent, posting increases in all of its sub-sectors.

The country’s Total Merchandise Exports accelerated to 8.7 percent from 5.1 percent, backed up by the upsurges in Garments, Gold from Copper, and Cathodes & Sections of Cathodes of Refined Copper. On the other hand, Exports of Non-Factor Services slipped to 1.0 percent in the fourth quarter of 2006 from 12.9 percent a year ago as most of its sub-sectors recorded lower growths.

Total Merchandise Imports expands to 3.1 percent from 1.3 percent last year. Growth was driven by the increases in Others and Imports on Consignment. Meanwhile, Imports of Non-Factor Services accelerated to 19.4 percent from 3.8 percent a year ago, as most of its sub-sectors posted gains during the quarter.

During the quarter, the terms of trade posted a favorable Trade Index of 107.2 percent. Trading Gains during the quarter amounted to P10.9 billion pesos as the IPIN of exports exceeded the IPIN of imports, 483.33 and 450.90, respectively.

GNP Implicit Price Index (IPIN) stood at 477.16 percent from 457.54 percent or a 4.3 percent growth from 2005.



ROMULO A. VIROLA
Secretary-General, NSCB

http://www.nscb.gov.ph/sna/2006/4thQ2006/2006qpr4.asp
_________________
"It was never my thinking that made the big money for me. It was always my sitting. Got that? My sitting tight!" - Jesse Livermore

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[kingsknight]

Approved Foreign Direct Investments reached PhP 35.8 Billion
in the Third Quarter of 2006

(PR-200612-ES4-08, Posted 04 January 2007)

Total approved foreign direct investments (FDIs) expanded to PhP 35.8 billion in the third quarter of 2006, a 121.1 percent expansion from its PhP 16.2 billion level in the same period in 2005. The growth was primarily due to the continued inflow of commitments to the manufacturing and services industries and a fresh infusion to the agriculture industry.

Approved FDIs for the manufacturing sector surged to PhP 21.5 billion from PhP 11.2 billion worth of commitments a year ago, an increase of 91.4 percent. This was pushed by the pledges from The USA and Japan to invest in the manufacture of ICT related products, with combined pledges valued at PhP 13.1 billion, which comprised 60.9 percent of total FDI commitments in the sector. Pledges to the services sector likewise grew by a robust 111.6 percent in the quarter, to PhP 9.3 billion from last year’s PhP 4.4 billion, contributing 26.1 percent of the total approved FDIs in the third quarter.

Meanwhile, the agriculture industry got a much-needed boost from an investment commitment to grow Cavendish bananas in Davao del Sur, estimated to cost PhP 2.4 billion. It is worth noting that this project is projected to generate 10,161 new jobs or 22.3 percent of the 45,531 jobs expected to be generated from all projects approved in third quarter of 2006.

The USA was the leading source of approved FDIs in the third quarter of 2006 with PhP 11.7 billion worth of commitments, a significant 85.9 percent expansion over its last year’s commitment of PhP 6.3 billion. Japan came next with PhP 9.0 billion, 43.8 percent more than its PhP 6.2 billion worth of commitments in 2005. Other significant contributors during the period were The United Kingdom, Singapore and China.

Projected employment from approved projects with foreign interest was estimated at 38,228, up by 3.1 percent from the 37,079 jobs expected from projects approved in the same period last year. Approved investment projects through BOI are expected to create 20,318 jobs, representing more than half or 53.1 percent of total FDI employment for the quarter.

The cumulative approved FDIs from January to September 2006 for the manufacturing sector reached PhP 105.9 billion, an expansion of 163.2 percent over last year’s PhP 40.2 billion. FDI pledges to the sector comprised the lion’s share of 69.7 percent of the total investment commitments for the period. The trade sector, meanwhile, was second top recipient of investment commitments in the first nine months of 2006, swelling to PhP 19.5 billion from last year’s PhP 84.0 million. The services sector likewise improved to PhP 15.9 billion, more than doubling its level of PhP 7.4 billion last year.

The cumulative projected employment for the first nine months of 2006 was estimated at 110,279 jobs, 45.3 percent higher than the 75,874 jobs posted in the same period last year.

ROMULO A. VIROLA
Secretary General

http://www.nscb.gov.ph/pressreleases/2007/Jan04_PR-200612-ES4-08_FDI3q.asp
_________________
"It was never my thinking that made the big money for me. It was always my sitting. Got that? My sitting tight!" - Jesse Livermore

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[kingsknight]

Total Gross Revenue of Industries Grows by 11.5 Percent in Q3 2006

(PR-200702-ES1-01, Posted 19 February 2007)

Total gross revenue of industries grew by 11.5 percent in the third quarter of 2006 from 13.4 percent in 2005. Brisk sales of residential projects to OFWs, the strong demand for business office spaces by the Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) industry, the sustained value-based promotions of wireless service providers and higher sales from newly-opened malls and supermarkets boosted revenues during the quarter. Real estate posted the highest growth with 39.7 percent, followed by transportation and communication with 14.3 percent and Trade, which grew by 14.1 percent.

Total employment, however, decreased by 0.4 percent from a growth of 0.5 percent in the previous year, weighed down by the decline in employment of real estate and manufacturing by 5.2 percent and 2.0 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, mining and quarrying and finance recorded the fastest growths at 14.5 percent and 4.7 percent, respectively.

Total compensation slowed down to a growth of 5.0 percent from 5.5 percent a year ago. Total compensation of industries represents the salaries and wages paid out by all industries in cash and in kind. Among the industries, the highest increase was reported in transportation and communication with 17.2 percent and in mining and quarrying, with 14.3 percent. Trade accelerated from 2.0 percent to 9.5 percent while private services rebounded to a growth of 2.7 percent from negative 0.9 percent. The rest of the sectors posted lower growths during the quarter: electricity and water, from 6.2 percent to 4.3 percent; finance, from 23.7 percent to 8.7 percent; and manufacturing, from 9.6 percent to 1.3 percent.

The decline in employment and the slowdown in compensation, resulted in the acceleration of total compensation per employee to 5.4 from 5.0 percent in the previous year. Industries with the highest growth in terms of compensation per employee were transportation and communication with 14.9 percent, followed by real estate and trade with 12.9 percent and 9.2 percent, respectively. Favorable performances were likewise registered in manufacturing, electricity and water and finance.

This report is based on the February 2007 issue of the Quarterly Economic Indices (QEI) of the Philippines, using data from the Quarterly Survey of the Philippine Business and Industry (QSPBI).

ROMULO A. VIROLA
Secretary General

http://www.nscb.gov.ph/pressreleases/2007/Feb19_PR-200702-ES1-01_QEI.asp
_________________
"It was never my thinking that made the big money for me. It was always my sitting. Got that? My sitting tight!" - Jesse Livermore

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[kingsknight]

Composite Leading Economic Indicator Moves Up in the First Quarter of 2007

(PR-200702-ES4-01, Posted 01 March 2007)

The composite leading economic indicator (LEI) moves up in the first quarter of 2007, rising to 0.170 from 0.107 in the last quarter of 2006.

Of the eleven indicators that make up the composite LEI, four contributed positively to the LEI for the first quarter of 2007. The positive contributors – beginning with the largest positive contributor – were stock price index, exchange rate, money supply and new businesses. The negative contributors - beginning with the largest negative contributor – were tourist arrivals, electric energy consumption, hotel occupancy, wholesale price index, merchandise imports, consumer price index, and terms of trade. Positive contributors accounted for 72.1 percent of total contribution, outweighing negative contributors at 27.9 percent share.

The contribution of each of the eleven (11) indicators is measured through the combined effects of the (1) direction (the slope or change) of the cycle component of each of the indicators; and (2) correlation of their cycle components with that of the GDP for industry and services.

Details of the LEI computation procedure, information about the component leading indicators, and limitations on the methodology and latest data are available at http://www.nscb.gov.ph/lei under the Technical Notes section.

ESTRELLA V. DOMINGO
Officer-in-Charge
Office of the Secretary General

For complete details, please click here:

http://www.nscb.gov.ph/pressreleases/2007/Mar01_PR-200702-ES4-01_LEI1Q07.asp
_________________
"It was never my thinking that made the big money for me. It was always my sitting. Got that? My sitting tight!" - Jesse Livermore

Check this out: http://www.blogmusik.net/
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[kingsknight]

Total Gross Revenue of Industries Expands by 11.0 Percent
in Q4 2006

(PR-200704-ES1-02, Posted 23 April 2007)

Total gross revenue of industries expanded by 11.0 percent in the fourth quarter of 2006, from 15.5 percent registered in 2005. Real Estate continued to post the highest growth at 39.9 percent with the sustained demand for business office spaces from the BPO industry and increased income from rental and leasing operations. This was followed by Finance, which grew by 17.3 percent, with the recovery of the insurance sector and higher utilization of financial services; and Trade, which increased by 12.3 percent, boosted by brisk sales from the country’s newly opened super-malls.

Total employment accelerated to 3.7 percent from 2.0 percent it registered a year ago. This was the highest employment growth recorded since the second quarter of 2002. Except for Real Estate which posted a decline of 6.0 percent, all other industries showed positive growths: Mining and Quarrying was up by 7.5 percent; Manufacturing and Private Services, by 4.4 percent each; Finance by 3.5 percent; Transportation and Communication by 2.8 percent; and Electricity and Water and Trade with 1.9 percent and 0.3 percent increases, respectively.

Total compensation at current price picked up by 7.7 percent from 4.1 percent in 2005. Total compensation of industries represents the salaries and wages paid out by all industries in cash and in kind. Top performers were Electricity and Water, Finance and Transportation and Communication, posting double-digit growths of 18.8 percent, 15.4 percent and 14.2 percent, respectively. Favorable performances were likewise registered in Mining and Quarrying, Manufacturing, Trade, Real Estate and Private Services.

Accelerated growths in both compensation and employment at current prices resulted to the higher growth in compensation per employee at 3.9 percent from 2.1 percent. Electricity and Water recorded the fastest growth in terms of compensation per employee at 16.6 percent followed by Finance, Transportation and Communication and Real Estate with 11.5 percent, 11.0 percent and 10.8 percent, respectively.

This report is based on the April 2007 issue of the Quarterly Economic Indices (QEI) of the Philippines.

ROMULO A. VIROLA
Secretary General

http://www.nscb.gov.ph/pressreleases/2007/Apr23_QEI_Q4.asp
_________________
"It was never my thinking that made the big money for me. It was always my sitting. Got that? My sitting tight!" - Jesse Livermore

Check this out: http://www.blogmusik.net/
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[kingsknight]

Approved Foreign Direct Investments down by 52.3 percent
in the last quarter of 2006, but cumulative January to December
2006 FDIs up by 73.1 percent

(PR-200703-ES4-02, Posted 23 April 2007)

Total approved foreign direct investments (FDIs) contracted to PhP 17.3 billion in the fourth quarter of 2006, dropping by 52.3 percent from its PhP 36.4 billion level in the same period in 2006. On a positive note, the drop in approvals in the fourth quarter was preceded by high growths in FDI pledges during the first three quarters of 2006.

Approved FDIs for the manufacturing sector dropped to PhP 6.8 billion from PhP 27.5 billion worth of commitments in the fourth quarter of 2005, registering a sharp decrease of 75.4 percent. More than a-thirds or PhP 2.5 billion of the pledges in the sector were from Japan, and more than 50.0 percent or PhP 3.4 billion were cumulatively pitched-in by Korea, Taiwan, France and British Virgin Islands.

Pledges to the private services sector, grew by a robust 262.5 percent in the fourth quarter, to PhP 5.0 billion from last year’s PhP 1.4 billion in the comparable period, contributing 28.6 percent of the total approved FDIs in the quarter. The private services industry got a much-needed boost from investment commitments to establish call centers, estimated to cost PhP 1.7 billion

The British Virgin Islands was the leading source of approved FDIs in the fourth quarter of 2006 with PhP 4.8 billion worth of commitments, more than 19 times its last year’s commitment of PhP 249.0 million. The surge in investment pledges from the British Virgin Islands was bolstered by a project commitment to construct and operate a deluxe-class hotel in a tourism economic zone in the Visayas area, estimated to cost PhP 4.0 billion, accounting for 83.6 percent of its total commitments during the quarter. The U.S.A. came next with PhP 3.5 billion, 25.4 percent less than its PhP 4.7 billion worth of commitments in the comparable period in 2005. Other significant contributors during the period were Japan, Korea and France.

Projected employment from approved projects with foreign interest was estimated at 23,322, down by 4.7 percent from the 24,468 jobs expected from projects approved in the same period in 2005. Approved investment projects through PEZA are expected to create 17,942 jobs, representing almost 77 percent of total FDI employment expected from projects approved during the quarter.

The cumulative approved FDIs from January to December 2006 posted a 73.1 percent increase, totaling PhP 165.9 billion compared to the PhP 95.8 billion worth of FDI approvals in 2005. Pledges to the manufacturing sector reached PhP 112.7 billion, an expansion of 66.3 percent over the PhP 67.7 billion approved in 2005. FDI pledges to the sector comprised the lion’s share of 67.9 percent of the total investment commitments for the period. The private services sector likewise improved to PhP 17.4 billion, almost doubling its level of PhP 8.8 billion in 2005.

The cumulative projected employment from projects with foreign interest approved in 2006 was estimated at 128,753 jobs, 28.3 percent higher than the 100,342 jobs posted in 2005.

ESTRELLA V. DOMINGO
Officer-In-Charge
Office of the Secretary General

http://www.nscb.gov.ph/pressreleases/2007/Apr23_FDI_Q4.asp
_________________
"It was never my thinking that made the big money for me. It was always my sitting. Got that? My sitting tight!" - Jesse Livermore

Check this out: http://www.blogmusik.net/
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[kingsknight]

The Leading Economic Indicator (LEI) rises in Q2
on strength of 8 of 11 indicators

(PR-200705-ES4-03, Posted 18 May 2007)

The composite leading economic indicator (LEI) increases in the second quarter of 2007, to 0.294 from 0.151 in the first quarter of 2007.

Of the eleven indicators that make up the composite LEI, eight contributed positively to the LEI for the second quarter of 2007. The positive contributors – beginning with the largest positive contributor – were stock price index, exchange rate, money supply, consumer price index, merchandise imports, tourist arrivals, terms of trade and new businesses. The negative contributors - beginning with the largest negative contributor – were, hotel occupancy, electric energy consumption, and wholesale price index. Positive contributors accounted for 89.7 percent of total contribution, far outweighing negative contributors at 10.3 percent share.

The contribution of each of the eleven (11) indicators is measured through the combined effects of the (1) direction (the slope or change) of the cycle component of each of the indicators; and (2) correlation of their cycle components with that of the GDP for industry and services.
Details of the LEI computation procedure, information about the component leading indicators, and limitations on the methodology and latest data are available at http://www.nscb.gov.ph/lei under the Technical Notes section.

ROMULO A. VIROLA
Secretary General

For complete details, please click here:

http://www.nscb.gov.ph/pressreleases/2007/May17_LEIQ2.asp
_________________
"It was never my thinking that made the big money for me. It was always my sitting. Got that? My sitting tight!" - Jesse Livermore

Check this out: http://www.blogmusik.net/
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[kingsknight]

Headline Inflation Rate Declines to 2.6 Percent in February 2007

(posted 23 March 2007)

The National Statistics Office (NSO) revealed that the year-on-year headline inflation rate for all items at the national level declined to 2.6 percent in February 2007 from 7.6 percent in the same period last year. This was the lowest recorded inflation rate since December 2002 according to NSO. The headline inflation rates from February 2007 for the National Capital Region (NCR) and areas outside NCR were 2.4 percent and 2.7 percent respectively. Meanwhile, the core inflation rate for February 2007 was recorded at 3.0 percent.

In NCR, the seasonally-adjusted consumer price index (CPI) for food, beverages and tobacco (FBT) and non-FBT items in February 2007 registered decreases of 0.2 and 0.4 percent, respectively, compared to the previous month. In areas outside NCR, the seasonally adjusted CPI for both FBT and non-FBT increased by 0.1 percent in February 2007.

The generation of the inflation rates and the seasonally adjusted CPI are designated statistical activities of the NSO under Executive Order 352, Designation of Statistical Activities That Will Generate Critical Data for Decision-Making of the Government and the Private Sector, issued on July 1, 1996. Per EO, data on CPI and seasonally adjusted CPI should be made available five days and ten days, after the reference month respectively. The NSO released the February 2007 data on CPI and seasonally adjusted CPI on March 6, 2007. The CPI uses 2000 as base year. For further inquiries, please contact Ms. Rosie B. Sta. Ana, Chief of the Economic Indicators and Indices Division of the NSO, at telefax numbered 716-39-35 or e-mail address R.Staana@census.gov.ph.

Link to data source: http://www.census.gov.ph/data/pressrelease/2007/cp0702tx.html; http://www.census.gov.ph/data/pressrelease/2007/cpsa0702tx.html

http://www.nscb.gov.ph/stats/latest/2007/23MarNSO_IR.asp
_________________
"It was never my thinking that made the big money for me. It was always my sitting. Got that? My sitting tight!" - Jesse Livermore

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[kingsknight]

Merchandise Imports Up by 1.0 Percent in January 2007

(posted 04 April 2007)

As reported by the National Statistics Office (NSO), the total merchandise imports for January 2007 went up by 1.0 percent to US$3,715 million from US$3,677 million in the same month last year. Electronic products, which accounted for 47.4 percent of total imports, posted a 9.0 percent growth. Other top imports include (a) mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials; (b) transport equipment; (c) industrial machinery and equipment; (d) plastics in primary and non-primary forms; (e) organic and inorganic chemicals; (f) textile yarn, fabrics, made-up articles and related products; (g) iron and steel; (h) telecommunication equipment and electrical machinery; and (i) metalliferous ores and metal scrap, which together, comprised 32.8 percent of the total imports.

Of the top ten imports, industrial machinery and equipment exhibited the highest growth at 65.8 percent compared to previous year’s figure. Other top gainers were plastic in primary and non-primary forms at 33.2 percent, transport equipment at 26.3 percent, and electronic products at 9.0 percent. On the other hand, minerals fuels, lubricants and related materials; textile yarn, fabrics, made-up articles and related products; iron and steel; telecommunication equipment and electrical machinery; and, metalliferous ores and metal scrap dropped by 29.6, 17.0, 4.5, 4.3 and 1.4 percent, respectively.

The biggest sources of imports in January 2007 were the USA supplying 15.0 percent of the total imports, Singapore with 13.7 percent share, and Japan with 11.6 percent share. Compared with January 2006 figures, the share of Singapore increased by 4.2 percentage points while that of the USA and Japan declined by 1.4 and 1.8 percentage points, respectively.

The country’s total external trade in January 2007 rose to US$7,702 million, a 10.8 increment compared to US$6,949 million posted in the same month last year. Balance of trade registered a US$272 million surplus in contrast to US$405 million deficit in the same period last year.

Monthly data on merchandise trade are generated from the compilation of foreign trade statistics which is one of the designated statistical activities of the NSO under Executive Order No. 352, Designation of Statistical Activities That Will Generate Critical Data for Decision-Making of the Government and the Private Sector, issued on July 1, 1996. Per the EO, data on imports should be made available 45 days after the reference month. It may be noted that the top ten imports listed in the NSO foreign trade statistics are different from the top merchandise imports in the national accounts which are based on the 1988 list of top imports to maintain the national accounts link series over a period of time. For further inquiries, please contact Ms. Rosie B. Sta. Ana, Chief of the Economic Indicators and Indices Division of the NSO, at telefax numbered 716-39-35 and e-mail address r.staana@census.gov.ph.

Link to data source: http://www.census.gov.ph/data/pressrelease/2007/tr0701tx.html

http://www.nscb.gov.ph/stats/latest/2007/04AprNSO_IM.asp
_________________
"It was never my thinking that made the big money for me. It was always my sitting. Got that? My sitting tight!" - Jesse Livermore

Check this out: http://www.blogmusik.net/
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[kingsknight]

Headline Inflation Rate Decelerates to 2.2 Percent in March 2007

(posted 18 April 2007)

As reported by the National Statistics Office (NSO), year-on year headline inflation rate for all items in the Philippines slowed down to 2.2 percent in March 2007 from 7.6 percent in the same period last year. This was the lowest inflation rate after April 1987 (1.0 percent) according to the NSO. The headline inflation rates for March 2007 in the National Capital Region (NCR) and areas outside NCR were 2.1 percent and 2.3 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, the core inflation rate for March 2007 was posted at 2.6 percent.

In NCR, the seasonally-adjusted consumer price index (CPI) for food, beverages and tobacco (FBT) in March 2007 remained constant at 129.7 compared to the previous month, while the non-FBT CPI slightly increased by 0.5 percentage points. In areas outside NCR, the seasonally adjusted CPI for FBT and non-FBT for March 2007 both increased by 0.3 and 0.2 percentage points, respectively, compared to February 2007.

The generation of the inflation rates based on the CPI and the generation of seasonally-adjusted CPI are designated statistical activities of the NSO under Executive Order 352, Designation of Statistical Activities That Will Generate Critical Data for Decision-Making of the Government and the Private Sector, issued on July 1, 1996. Per EO, data on CPI and seasonally-adjusted CPI should be made available five days and ten days, respectively, after the reference month. The NSO released the March 2007 data on CPI and seasonally-adjusted CPI on April 4, 2007. The CPI uses 2000 as base year. For further inquiries, please contact Ms. Rosie B. Sta. Ana, Chief of the Economic Indicators and Indices Division of the NSO, at telefax numbered 716-39-35 or e-mail address R.Staana@census.gov.ph.

Link to data sources:
http://www.census.gov.ph/data/pressrelease/2007/cp0703tx.html
http://www.census.gov.ph/data/pressrelease/2007/cpsa0703tx.html

http://www.nscb.gov.ph/stats/latest/2007/18AprNSO_IR.asp
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"It was never my thinking that made the big money for me. It was always my sitting. Got that? My sitting tight!" - Jesse Livermore

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[kingsknight]

Merchandise Exports Up By 7.0 Percent in February 2007

(posted 23 April 2007)

As reported by the National Statistics Office (NSO), the total merchandise exports estimated at US$3,689 million in February 2007 went up by 7.0 percent compared to US$3,447 million in February 2006.

Electronic products, which comprised 63.5 percent of the total exports, remained the country’s top export, exhibiting a 12.3 percent growth compared to 12.1 percent in the same month last year. Other commodities in the list of top ten exports, which accounts for 17.0 percent of the total, include (a) articles of apparel and clothing accessories; (b) cathodes and sections of cathodes of refined copper; (c) ignition wiring set and other wiring sets; (d) woodcrafts and furniture; (e) other products manufactured from materials on consignment basis; (f) metal components; (g) petroleum products; (h) fresh bananas; and (i) coconut oil.

In terms of contribution to the 7.0 percent growth in exports, the biggest share came from electronic products at 7.4 percentage points, followed by cathodes and section of cathodes of refined copper at 0.8 percentage points, and coconut oil at 0.4 percentage points. However, woodcrafts and furniture, articles of apparel and clothing accessories, and petroleum products pulled down the export growth with 0.6, 0.4, and 0.3 percentage points, respectively.

Among the top ten exports, coconut oil posted the highest increment at 106.8 percent compared to the same month last year. Other top gainers were cathodes and sections of cathodes of refined copper at 39.5 percent, ignition wiring set and other wiring sets at 18.5 percent, fresh bananas at 14.3 percent, electronic products at 12.3 percent, and other products manufactured from materials on consignment basis at 6.2 percent. On the other hand, petroleum products declined by 25.4 percent, woodcrafts and furniture by 25.3 percent, metal components by 15.9 percent, and articles of apparel and clothing accessories by 5.9 percent.

The United States of America with 17.7 percent share, Japan with 14.4 percent share, and China with 12.3 percent share were the biggest markets for exports in February 2007. Compared to 2006 figures on percent share, USA and Japan exhibited a decline of 1.4 and 3.9 percentage points, respectively, while China posted a 3.0 percentage points increment.

Monthly data on merchandise exports are generated from the compilation of foreign trade statistics which is one of the designated statistical activities of the NSO under Executive Order No. 352, Designation of Statistical Activities That Will Generate Critical Data for Decision-Making of the Government and the Private Sector, issued on July 1, 1996. Per EO, data on exports should be made available 45 days after the reference month. The NSO released the February 2007 data on exports on April 11, 2007. It may be noted that the top ten exports listed in the NSO foreign trade statistics are different from the top merchandise exports in the national accounts which are based on the 1988 list of top exports to maintain the national accounts link series over a period of time. For further inquiries, please contact Ms. Rosie B. Sta. Ana, Chief of the Economic Indicators and Indices Division of the NSO, at telefax numbered 716-39-35 and e-mail address r.staana@census.gov.ph.

Link to data source: http://www.census.gov.ph/data/pressrelease/2007/ex0702tx.html

http://www.nscb.gov.ph/stats/latest/2007/23AprNSO_Exports.asp
_________________
"It was never my thinking that made the big money for me. It was always my sitting. Got that? My sitting tight!" - Jesse Livermore

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[kingsknight]

Merchandise Imports Up by 10.4 Percent in March 2007

(posted 01 June 2007)

As reported by the National Statistics Office (NSO), the total merchandise imports for March 2007 went up by 10.4 percent reaching US$4,567 million from US$4,138 million in the same month last year. Electronic products, which accounted for 50.2 percent of total imports, exhibited a 33.7 percent growth. Other top imports include (a) mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials; (b) transport equipment; (c) industrial machinery and equipment; (d) organic and inorganic chemicals; (e) textile yarn, fabrics, made-up articles and related products; (f) plastics in primary and non-primary forms; (g) cereal and cereal preparations; (h) iron and steel, and (i) telecommunication equipment and electrical machinery, comprised 32.1 percent of the total imports.

Electronic products propelled the 10.4 percent growth in imports, almost single-handedly with its share at 10.0 percentage points. On the other hand, cereals and cereal preparations pulled down the import growth by 2.3 percentage points.

The biggest sources of imports in March 2007 were the USA supplying 17.7 percent of the total imports, Japan with 12.3 percent share and Singapore with 11.7 percent share. Compared with March 2006 figures, the share of USA and Singapore inched by 1.5 and 0.9 percentage points, respectively, while that of Japan declined by 2.1 percentage points.

The country’s total external trade in March 2007 rose to US$9,014 million, posting a 9.1 percent increment compared to US$8,265 million exhibited in the same month a year ago. On the contrary, balance of trade in March 2007 slipped to US$119 million deficit compared to US$10 million deficit registered in March 2006.

Monthly data on merchandise trade are generated from the compilation of foreign trade statistics which is one of the designated statistical activities of the NSO under Executive Order No. 352, Designation of Statistical Activities That Will Generate Critical Data for Decision-Making of the Government and the Private Sector, issued on July 1, 1996. Per the EO, data on imports should be made available 45 days after the reference month. It may be noted that the top ten imports listed in the NSO foreign trade statistics are different from the top merchandise imports in the national accounts which are based on the 1988 list of top imports to maintain the national accounts link series over a period of time. For further inquiries, please contact Ms. Rosie B. Sta. Ana, Chief of the Economic Indicators and Indices Division of the NSO, at telefax numbered 716-39-35 and e-mail address r.staana@census.gov.ph.

Link to data source: http://www.census.gov.ph/data/pressrelease/2007/tr0703tx.html

http://www.nscb.gov.ph/stats/latest/2007/01JunNSO_Imports.asp
_________________
"It was never my thinking that made the big money for me. It was always my sitting. Got that? My sitting tight!" - Jesse Livermore

Check this out: http://www.blogmusik.net/
http://www.tristancafe.com/