Bank of Commerce “trade finance” unit up 6x since 2019Bank of Commerce [BNCOM 8.1 2.5%] [link] disclosed that its “trade finance” business has grown significantly over the past three years, which BNCOM attributes to the reopening of the economy, higher domestic consumption, and improved global demand. In this context, “trade finance” refers to loans and letters of credit that the bank can provide to importers and exporters to assist in buying goods. BNCOM said that its trade finance unit started in 2019, and it has increased its annual “issuance throughput” from P3.4 billion in 2019 to P70 billion in 2022. I don’t have any experience dealing with BNCOM in this fashion, but it’s good when a bank is accustomed to needs and particular problems that face a certain industry. Merkado Barkada's opinions are provided for informational purposes only, and should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any particular stock.

If you sold the UBP shares on the ex-date, or after the ex-date, you’re still allowed to participate in the SRO. No need to hold the UBP shares until the Record Date. Any day that I can go to bed “less wrong” is a good one in my books. --Merkado Barkada is a free daily newsletter on the PSE, investing and business in the Philippines. Merkado Barkada's opinions are provided for informational purposes only, and should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any particular stock.

Police arrested a thief after tracking him down as he left his wallet at the site where he robbed a nurse of her valuables in Tseung Kwan O last night. Officers received a call from the nurse at 10.19 pm on Monday saying that she was robbed by a lone thief when walking towards a footbridge near Haven of Hope Hospital after work. The nurse struggled with the thief and tried to chase him but to no avail. However, the fleeing thief dropped his wallet during the altercation. The Tseung Kwan O police force was able to arrest the perpetrator, surnamed Lee, who worked as a truck driver, using the wallet and solving the case in just one hour.

Mcleen Gomera (left) and Jana Jelena set in motion their respective campaigns in this year’s PPS-PEPP junior season with big victories in Negros Occidental. Mcleen Gomera pulled through in the boys’ 16-and-under division while Jana Jelena ruled the girls’ 14-U side as they grabbed the MVP crowns in the Masters Top 8 at the SRJI Center Mall courts in San Carlos, Negros Occidental on Monday, Jan. 9. He earlier trounced Manito, 6-2, 6-2, in the crossover semis with Villamar holding off Maravilla, 7-6(4), 6-3. Ormoc City’s Brodeth, who topped a number of last year’s PPS-PEPP legs put up by Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro, toppled Bacolod’s Hannah Divinagracia, 4-6, 6-0, 6-0, for the girls’ 16-U trophy; Torrecampo from Los Baños repelled Ormoc’s Ma. Fredenil Castro tournament – on Jan. 19-24.

MEXICO CITY: A regional migration and drug smuggling crisis is expected to dominate talks between United States President Joe Biden and his Mexican counterpart Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Monday. Biden arrived in Mexico City on Sunday night after a politically charged stop at the southern US border, his first since taking office in January 2021. He was set to meet with Lopez Obrador and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau one-on-one on Monday and Tuesday, and also together in what is dubbed the "Three Amigos" summit. In his meetings with Lopez Obrador and Trudeau, Biden will address the regional scope of the issue. Mexico is plagued by cartel-related bloodshed that has seen more than 340,000 people murdered since the government deployed the military in the war on drugs in 2006.

A Hong Kong citizen was arrested by Macao Customs for smuggling dried seafood and New Year goods valued at MOP$1 million (HK$986,840) to China. Macao Customs was tipped off by a resident that a vacant premise in Centro Comercial Vong Kam has been used as a storehouse by a smuggling ring. Officers then tracked a 53-year-old man, surnamed Chan, and found him distributing bags of luggage to three parallel traders aged 53 to 66 at Portas do Cerco on Monday morning. The Customs arrested Chan for being responsible for bringing and distributing the smuggled goods. The three traders admitted they were helping Chan to bring the goods back to the mainland, getting paid HK$360 for each arrangement.

Government to borrow anew from foreign marketIn a notice of issuance, the Philippines targets to raise at least $500 million from foreign sources by offering global bonds with tenors of 5.5 and 10.5 years, as well as a 25-year sustainability bond. In a notice of issuance, the Philippines targets to raise at least $500 million from foreign sources by offering global bonds with tenors of 5.5 and 10.5 years, as well as a 25-year sustainability bond. This marks the second global bond issuance of the Marcos administration since it assumed office. Global bond issuances are a way to diversify the country’s funding sources and constantly provide liquidity of Philippine global bonds in the international market. Global bond yields are slowly declining as the red-hot inflation in the US cools down because of declining oil prices and lower risks of recession.

The Zamboanga Valientes pulled away in the second half and hacked out an 87-79 win over hometown bets Singapore Slingers to cap the Singapore Circuit of the ABL Invitational 2023 on a winning note on Sunday, Jan. 8 at the OCBC Arena. Jeremy Arthur goes for a layup for Zamboanga. Zamboanga closed out the opening circuit of the tournament with a 2-2 record and the win serves as a fitting momentum builder when it returns to action in the Batam Circuit in Indonesia set to fire off on Jan. 12 to 18. Zamboanga saw its comeback bid against Saigon go down the drain as the Heat escaped with a 75-71 win on Friday, Jan. 6. The Valientes then looked poised for a huge bounce back win a day after but couldn’t hold on to a 16-point lead it established, collapsing and succumbing to NS Matrix, 86-82.

"No country deserves to endure what happened to Pakistan," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told an international conference in Geneva, which is seeking billions of dollars to support recovery from the disaster. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told the conference his country was "racing against time" to deal with towering needs. Speaking via video link, French President Emmanuel Macron told the conference that his country would contribute 360 million euros ($384 million). Monday's event is broader than a traditional pledging conference, as it seeks to set up a long-term international partnership focused not only on recovery, but also on boosting Pakistan's climate resilience. "Today the waters may have partially receded," he told Monday's conference, "but what remains is a monumental reckoning for the entire world."

But while "M3gan" drew audiences largely in 2D showings, large-format screens continued to be soaked up by "The Way of Water." 1 for the fourth straight week in United States and Canadian theaters with $45 million in sales. After dominating the otherwise lackluster holiday corridor, the "Avatar" sequel is nearly matching the original's pace; the first "Avatar" scored $50.3 million in its fourth weekend. Third place went to "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish," with $13.1 million in its third week of release. While many awards contenders have struggled in recent months at the box office, Darren Aronofsky's "The Whale" is proving a modest exception.

Mrs. Christiana Winnie Saywah-Jimmy has formally been named Managing Editor of The INQUIRER Newspaper published by the New Era Publications Corporation. She was appointed by the Board of Directors and Shareholders of the paper. For effective operation of The INQUIRER Newspaper, the letter under the signature of Gabriel I. H. Williams, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Shareholders, said the Managing Editor is required to submit to the Board a management plan that you (Managing Editor) intend to execute as Managing Editor to elevate the entity. “A very important part of the immediate plan must include positioning The INQUIRER Newspaper to be more competitive online. The Managing Editor is the vice president of the Female Journalists Association of Liberia and a media trainer and mentor who served as head of the Press Union of Liberia membership under two past leaderships.

Thailand on Monday rescinded a policy announced at the weekend requiring visitors to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination, its health minister said, citing sufficient immunisation levels in China and globally. Anutin Charnvirakul said requiring visitors to show evidence of vaccination was inconvenient and a panel of experts had resolved that it was unnecessary as enough vaccinations had been administered globally. "Showing proof of vaccination would be cumbersome and inconvenient, and so the group's decision is that it is unnecessary," Anutin told reporters. In November, it recorded 1.75 million visitors, quadruple the number received for the whole of last year when flights and foreign arrivals were limited. Anutin said Thailand was now expecting 7-10 million Chinese visitors, compared to an earlier estimate of 5 million.

WASHINGTON, D.C: Elon Musk has urged a federal judge to shift a trial out of San Francisco because he says negative local media coverage has biased potential jurors against him. That district includes the state capital of Austin, which is where Musk relocated his electric car company, Tesla, in late 2021. If moving the trial isn't possible, Musk's lawyers want it postponed until negative publicity regarding the billionaire's purchase of Twitter has died down. Those news items have personally blamed Musk for recent layoffs at Twitter, Spiro wrote, and have charged that the job cuts may have even violated laws. Musk has also been criticized by San Francisco's mayor and other local officials for the job cuts, the filing said.

The first time I heard of the “All returned-No re-investment” policy of government was at the LTO. The agency makes billions of pesos for the national government from all of their many services related to land transportation documentation and regulation. These government agencies under the DOTr generate and earn anywhere from P6 billion to P11 billion through aviation related services, fees and charges, all of which go back directly to the national government. For instance, lawmakers should refile the bill for the creation of the National Transport Safety Board to investigate transport related issues and incidents independently, not the Senate or Congress. How does one defend himself from a member of the review board who has prejudged them or has history with someone under review?

Scores of workers have clashed with police at a Covid test kit factory in China, video spreading on social media showed Sunday, as the country navigates a path out of its hardline virus policy. A man who posted video from the scene said in an accompanying caption that many workers had not been paid. Other posts alleged that Chongqing-based pharmaceutical company Zybio suddenly fired workers who had been recruited in recent weeks. AFP could not confirm exactly when the videos were captured, though multiple social media users said the clash took place on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Similar scenes unfolded at iPhone maker Foxconn's factory in central China last year, as furious workers unhappy with a Covid lockdown and pay dispute clashed with police.