Those complaining that the year 2012 had very few long holidays now have a reason to be happy about for next year.
With Malacanang Palace announcing the official dates of holidays in 2013, the next year will have at least 16 regular, special, and non-working holidays — leading to four (4) long weekends in March, August, November, and December next year.
It’s also possible that most people will take a 5th long weekend during Christmas week, since December 23, 2013 is a Monday and is “sandwiched” between the preceding weekend and the Christmas holidays.
San Miguel Corp. (SMC) ‘Series 2’ Preferred Shares
A few days ago, I drove by a Petron outlet to gas up and noticed a poster advertising San Miguel Corporation (SMC)‘s public offering of its “Series 2” Preferred Shares. There’s nothing illegal about the advertisement. SMC is a primary stockholder of Petron Corp. and they can advertise anything in any of their Petron branches.
Ayala Land Homestarter Bond with ALI bonus credit
Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) is offering a new type of bond that will give investors fixed income, plus a bonus credit if and when the investor decides to purchase an Ayala Land residential property.
The Ayala Land Homestarter Bond pays a 5% fixed interest rate per year — decent return from a relatively stable company — but make sure you understand all the terms and conditions of the investment, lest you eventually be convinced to buy a property that you never planned.
Top 10 Highest-Paid Celebrities in 2012
Judging by Forbes Magazine’s 2012 list of the highest-paid celebrities, it seems the key to amassing huge wealth if you are in the entertainment industry is to neither be in center stage nor directly facing the camera.
Of course, no one can argue that that being an actor, actress, or singer pays relatively a lot. Just ask singers Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and actors Kristin Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner who all received two-digit million-dollar incomes in the past year alone and earned for themselves the distinction Highest Paid Young Stars of 2012.
2012 PSE index (PSEi): Cebu Pacific out, Petron in
Those holding Cebu Pacific (CEB) stocks are probably wondering what’s causing the stock to plummet during the past trading days. In just one week, the stock price of budget airline Cebu Pacific has declined by 9.3%, closing at P61.40 in last Friday’s (August 24) trading.
It’s actually been a losing battle for CEB stockholders since the company’s hyped initial public offering (IPO) in 2010. On its first trading day on the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) in October 2010, Cebu Pacific rose to P133.00 from its IPO price of P125.00. Unfortunately, the stock has not recovered from that all-time high price. It even ended the year 2011 at half the price, closing at P64.80 on the last trading day.
Invest in PAGIBIG Housing Bonds for only P5,000
The Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF), commonly known as Pag-ibig, recently issued bonds that even small-time investors can buy and invest in. Last week, the Pag-ibig Fund announced that they are issuing to the public the new series of Bahay Bonds, a five-year mortgage-backed security aimed at raising P300-600 million that Pag-ibig can use to sustain its housing loan services to beneficiaries.
Pag-ibig Fund’s Bahay or Housing Bonds will pay a coupon rate of 4.80% per year. Each bonds costs only P5,000 making it easier for retail investors to participate in this bond offering.
BDO to charge ATM withdrawal fee?
A lot of social media users on Facebook and Twitter were enraged yesterday after rumors surfaced that top Philippine bank Banco de Oro (BDO) will start charging PHP2.00 for every withdrawal made using BDO’s ATM terminals.
The commotion ensued after TV5’s Interaksyon website published a report saying that effective “September 1, it will cost a BDO ATM card holder P2” every time a withdrawal is made from any BDO terminal.
INFOGRAPHIC: Profile of the Philippine Stock Market Investor
Majority of local stock market investors are males aged 30-59 years old, residing in Metro Manila, and earning an annual income of less than P500,000. … Read More