economy
Most French banks are raising their mortgage rates for April amid uncertainty from the war in Iran and the Strait of Hormuz blockade. French 10-year state bond yields hit nearly 3.90% on Friday, a level unseen since 2009. Philippe Crevel of the Cercle de l’Épargne highlights the close link between these yields and home loan rates.
Reported by AI
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has given P5,000 each to 59,149 tricycle drivers in Metro Manila under the fuel subsidy program to ease the impact of rising oil prices due to Middle East tensions. Payouts are ongoing in the National Capital Region, with Secretary Rex Gatchalian aiming to complete them today.
The number of jobless Filipinos rose to 2.54 million in October 2025 from 1.96 million in September, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. The unemployment rate climbed to 5 percent from 3.8 percent.
Reported by AI
In the last long weekend of the year, nearly 1.4 million tourists traveled across the country, spending around 250 billion pesos, according to a survey by the Argentine Confederation of Medium-Sized Enterprises (CAME). This marks a 43.5% increase in the number of people compared to 2023 and a 20.1% rise in spending.