A Damaged Culture No More? Investing in the Philippines

The Philippines has the dubious distinction of being called “a damaged culture” or “the sick man of Asia,” but the country is also considered to to be one of the so-called Tiger Cub Economies of Southeast Asia and one of the Next Eleven (N-11) countries. Unfortunately, American investors have few options for investing in the Philippines as the iShares MSCI Philippines Investable Market Index Fund (EPHE) and the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PHI) or PLDT are the only Philippine ETFs or ADRs trading on major US stock changes as other well-known Philippine companies like Ayala Corp (AYALY.PK), Globe Telecom (GTMEF.PK), Jollibee Foods Corp (JBFCF.PK), San Miguel Corp (SMGBY.PK) and SM Investments Corp (SVTMY.PK) are only thinly traded on the OTC.

Before investing in the Philippines, investors should read James Fallows’ Atlantic Monthly essay: “A Damaged Culture: A New Philippines?”

Nevertheless, the election of Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, the son of former President Cory Aquino who replaced dictator Ferdinand Marcos, has fueled optimism that the Philippines has finally turned a corner. But before you consider investing in the Philippines through Philippine ETFs or stocks like the iShares MSCI Philippines Investable Market Index Fund or the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company, investors might want to consider reading a controversial essay written by James Fallows for the Atlantic Monthly entitled: “A Damaged Culture: A New Philippines?”

To read more, go to the complete article on our SeekingAlpha page by clicking here. Likewise and if you are interested in our other articles about the iShares MSCI Philippines Investable Market Index Fund, the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company or PLDT or about investing in the Philippines, visit our Philippines tagged articles here.

Similar Posts:

• The Philippines: More Two Steps Forward And One Step Back?
• Investing in Philippines ETFs / Philippines ETF List
• Ayala: Duterte’s China Pivot Transforms Philippines’ Oldest Conglomerate (Nikkei Asian Review)
• Are There Greater Opportunities In Asia’s Frontier Markets Than in China? (FT)
• Investing in Philippines ADRs / Philippines Stocks List
• Portfolio Money Flows Back Into the Philippines (WSJ)
• China is building an island on the disputed Mabini Reef (Timelapsed Pictures)
• Speculators And Hit-And-Runs: Investing in Indonesia
• Can a Barbecue Baron Kick off a Big Year for Philippine IPOs? (Nikkei Asia)
• Jollibee’s Big Appetite (Nikkei Asian Review)
• Philippines’ Largest IPO Ends Flat in Debut Trading (The Asset)
• The Singapore Story: Not a Sure Thing for Investors?
• Jollibee’s Quest for Global Dominance Derailed by Virus (Nikkei Asian Review)
• Which Countries Are Most Influenced By China? (Oilprice.com)
• Small But Mighty: Seizing Untapped Opportunities in Southeast Asia (Nielsen)