BoP deficit tops $3B in first half ‘blowout’

THE country’s balance of payments (BoP) deficit further widened in June, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported on Thursday, hitting a 19-month high and boosting the year-to-date figure past the $3-billion mark.

The $1.177-billion result followed May’s $583-million shortfall and was also wider than the $569 million recorded a year earlier. It was the largest since November 2016 when the payments position stood at a deficit of $1.670 billion.