BDO chief strategist named top forex forecaster in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Jonathan Ravelas, first vice president and chief market strategist of BDO Unibank Inc., was cited as the No. 1 Exchange Rate Forecaster in the Philippines by FocusEconomics Consensus Forecast, a leading provider of economic analysis and forecasts for 130 countries and 30 commodities.

Ravelas was selected based on the accuracy of his monthly economic forecasts in 2018 during the 2019 Analyst Forecast Awards.

FocusEconomics first counted Ravelas among the world’s “most accurate forecasters” in 2016 when he was awarded as the top forecaster in the current account category in the Philippines. Current account is a crucial indicator of an economy’s condition that is influenced by key factors such as trade policies, foreign exchange rate and inflation, among others.

Ravelas has been BDO’s chief market strategist since 2002. Over 17 years, he has contributed his insight and deep understanding of the local and global market to provide the bank’s clients with timely and relevant forecasts to help them with their financial decisions and goals.

The Analyst Forecast Awards are yearly awards that recognize the analysts whose forecasts for the period are the most accurate. Apart from current account, other categories include gross domestic product, fiscal balance, inflation, interest rate and exchange rate.