Cash and stocks

Any tips on transferring PHP from Hong Kong to Manila? Remitters like I-remit have the best rates but cap transfers at PHP 400k/month. Offshore Philly banks such as BPI will take you for a ride with their fx spot rates. Also looking at a few high dividend/income stocks in the PCOMP index... dont expect any of the below to go out of biz anytime soon and capital appreciation blah blah

Globe telecom 4.35%
Manila electric 5.52%
PLDT 4%

which banks offer good retail brokerage services onshore?

If you want a return on your investments, you might want to contact AXA or ask about these investments at a branch of Metrobank .


AXA Philippines
August 19, 2015 ·
"If someone has P200,000 to spare, where should this money be invested?"
This is the question posed by Business Inquirer (Philippine Daily Inquirer) in this article, which shared some of the best-performing funds of AXA Philippines. Here's an excerpt of the interview with Tony Isidro, Wealth Management Director of AXA Philippines:
“One of our best performing equity funds is the 'Opportunity Fund' which invests in blue-chip stocks that are part of the Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEi) and other select stocks that undergo a rigorous screening process. These include listed companies in the commercial/industrial, banking/finance, and property sectors. As of end-June, the Opportunity Fund has performed at 20.7 percent since its launch in August 2009."
“We also have two AXA-exclusive funds that have been performing quite impressively as well. The 'Chinese Tycoon Fund' invests in PSE-listed companies controlled by Chinese-Filipino tycoons and their families. Since the fund started in December 2011, the Chinese Tycoon fund has returns of 19.8 percent as of end-June 2015."

Bob thanks. I've some exposure to such insurance linked funds and prefer vanilla equity for flexibility. Does not appear there are big differences among the big banks on a retail brokerage level.

I also agree with vanilla equity bank funds.  There are a few web sites that do a comparison with various equity or income funds, but each of these websites seem to come up with different results because of maybe the time period chosen for the analysis.   As far as the bank run funds here in the Philippines are concerned, there does not appear to be a clear overall winner.  Before, I became an on-line stock trader, with my Overseas account, I did lots of research on US and Canadian mutual funds for my personal accounts.   
I have invested some funds here for my Pinay wife at both Landbank and BDO.
The two funds run by Axa mentioned in the above post seem to have amazing results.  One day, I might still go into Metrobank and check  the cost of these stock funds.

Despite being an emerging market, I find the PCOMP to be relatively low beta in nature vs say HSI (Hong kong) that swings about quite a bit. Hence why pay the front end and the obligatory fund manager premium for these funds/Unit trusts when one can get long a few blue chips and clip dividends over the coming years as the economy edges toward developed market territory...

Well said.....    :)

PCOMP down 10% YTD, Jollibee up 10% talk about recession proof!

Except for a few recession resistant stocks, the equity markets in the Philippines have been an under performer in the last year.
Some people call this a buying opportunity !

Yes they have. Inline with most emerging markets, thanks to the Fed and a strong USD. Domestic concerns around sequential rate hikes from the BP also keeping investors at bay. Markets are cyclical, the only constant is greed  :|