Here is some interesting information about the Philippines which might be helpful to potential investors:
It is the 12th largest country in the world by population.
It is ranked 25th by Gross Domestic Product by purchasing power parity.
It was a founding member of the United Nations.
In 2005, the Philippine peso was considered to be Asia's best-performing currency, according the the CIA World Factbook.
Its economy grew at a rate of 5.4% in 2006.
Its two biggest trading partners are the U.S. and Japan.
It is a member of the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, the the International Monetary Fund, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, and the World Trade Organization.
There are more than 180 languages and dialects spoken in the country.
Here are the Philippines stocks that trade in the United States:
eTelecare Global Solutions, Inc. (ETEL), which trades on the NASDAQ, offers business process outsourcing services for both customer care, and technical support services. The company, which is based in Quezon City, has a price to earnings ratio of 14, and a price earnings to growth ratio of 0.61.
Manila Electric (MERAY.PK), which is also known as MERALCO, is the largest distributor of electrical power in the Philippines. Its operating margin for the latest quarter was 5%, and the return on average equity was 16.29%.
Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PHI), which trades on the New York Stock Exchange, is the largest telecommunications services company in the Philippines. The stock has a P/E of 16.41, a PEG of 1.59, and a yield of 4%.
PSI Technologies Holdings Inc. (PSIT), which trades on the NASDAQ, is a Taguig Metro Manila-based provider of semiconductor assembly, and test services. Although quarterly revenues were up 9.3%, its quarterly earnings have been negative.
San Miguel Corp. (SMGBY.PK), is the largest publicly traded food, beverage, and packaging company in the Philippines. Its operating margin for the latest quarter was 7.61%, and its return on average equity is 11.68%.
Disclosure: The author does not own any of the above.
