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Overseas news
In the US, homebuilder sentiment climbed to a 6-month high in October. This indicates increased optimism about present and future home sales.
Specifically, the US National Association of Homebuilders’ (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) rose 5 points to reach 37 in October, up from 33 in September.
The HMI is an index that measures builder opinion on the level of current and future single-family home sales.
Meanwhile, Bank of Japan (BOJ) board member Naoki Tamura said interest rates should increase toward neutral levels amid inflation risks. He added that Japan may reach its target of a 2% stable inflation sooner than expected.
Hiking rates is a way for the central banks to manage inflation, because higher rates mean higher borrowing costs. This, in turn, may help control the prices of goods and services.
Local developments
The Philippine economy may still grow within the government’s 5.5% to 6.5% target for 2025, according to the Department of Budget Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman.
She said government spending is expected to “normalize” in the 4th quarter after a projected slowdown in the 3rd quarter amid the ongoing probe into public spending.
Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture (DA) is investing P3.3 billion to acquire 300 rice drying systems over 3 years to boost drying capacity by up to 40%.
The move is part of an effort to modernize rice processing and supply chain systems. Having enough supply of food staples such as rice may help stabilize prices and provide relief to consumers.
Additionally, the combined value of InstaPay and PESONet transactions rose by 41.1% to reach P17.46 trillion in the initial 9 months of 2025.
This may indicate a continued shift to digital payments, which can help the economy grow by improving financial inclusion and making it faster and easier for consumers to transact.
Currently, the news doesn’t hint at major changes coming soon. It might be ideal to continue following your strategy if it still works for you.
