22 Feb 2021
Financial Markets
The Baht weakened but later rebounded later in the week. The Baht moved in a tight range before weakened later due to the strengthening greenback on the rising US bond yields amid signs of the US economic recovery. However, the Baht pared losses later in the week, while the US dollar fell on a weake... Read more
FileSize KB
11 Feb 2021
The Baht strengthened against the US dollar. The Baht’s gains were in line with other regional currencies and risky assets amid hopes for the US stimulus measures. In addition, the US dollar fell on the Fed Chair’s remarks on easing monetary policy stance, the falling US Treasury bond yields, and th... Read more
Financial Institutions
Quantitative easing (QE) is a form of unconventional monetary policy, which is typically used by central banks of major countries, including several nations in Asia, in helping address their economic woes after having to cut their policy rates to near zero percent. The details and size of asset purc... Read more
29 Jan 2021
KResearch assesses that the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) may keep its policy rate steady at 0.50 percent during its first meeting of 2021, scheduled for February 3, because the government has just implemented new monetary and fiscal measures. Its spending under the new fiscal stimulus package acc... Read more
The Baht rose later in the week. The Baht traded in a narrow range earlier in the week, awaiting new factors, before falling later as the US dollar gained on the Fed’s meeting outcomes, i.e., its policy rate and QE program were kept unchanged, while no new easing measures were announced. The US doll... Read more
27 Jan 2021
Based on 4Q20 financial statements of commercial banks, KResearch assesses that non-performing loans (NPLs) in the commercial banking system may reach approximately THB523 billion as of the end of 2020, accounting for 3.16 percent of total loans. For 2021, we are of the view that NPLs will likely tr... Read more
22 Jan 2021
The Baht rebounded slightly after having fallen earlier in the week in line with other regional currencies amid a number of risks. These include concerns about the economic impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, problems concerning COVID-19 vaccinations in many countries, and the US political situation... Read more
Aside from growing risks posed by the new COVID-19 outbreak which may hamper Thailand’s economic recovery in 2021, another important factor that warrants attention is the rising fund raising cost in the Thai bond market early in the year. This situation is partly due to projections regarding the inc... Read more
15 Jan 2021
The Baht traded in a narrow range, but rose slightly later in the week. The Baht fell in line with the weaker Yuan and other regional currencies while the US dollar gained its strength on the rising US bond yields and buying orders amid US political uncertainty. However, the Baht pared losses somew... Read more
13 Jan 2021
The new COVID-19 outbreak which has dragged on into 2021 continues to affect economic activity that had previously been on the verge of recovery. Such circumstances have further intensified the issues of financial vulnerability, lack of liquidity and deteriorating debt servicing ability among many ... Read more
8 Jan 2021
The Baht weakened at the end of the week. The Baht rose early in the week in line with the Yuan and other regional currencies while the US dollar had no new supportive factors. The Thai currency then pared gains along with weakening regional peers, as well as net foreign selling orders for Thai bon... Read more
6 Jan 2021
Since the start of 2021, major currencies and Asian currencies, including the Chinese Yuan, have continued to strengthen while the greenback has been facing sell-off, pressured by the Fed’s quantitative easing and the US presidential transition. Meanwhile, the Thai Baht’s value has surged past the 3... Read more
30 Dec 2020
According to the Bank of Thailand’s latest report on loans to households during 3Q20, Thailand’s household debt remained at a high level and is projected to rise steadily amid weak economic conditions. The household debt to GDP ratio hit a new 18-year high of 86.6 percent in 3Q20, driven by new home... Read more
29 Dec 2020
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has not only dealt a blow to economic activity, but pressured operating results of commercial banks in many ways. KResearch expects that net profit of domestic-registered commercial banks may reach THB144 billion, representing the lowest level in nine years since 2012.... Read more
18 Dec 2020
The Baht broke the THB30.00/USD level. The Baht traded in a narrow range earlier in the week, before strengthened later and hit a 7-1/2 year high of THB29.76/USD on the back of the US Treasury report on macroeconomic and foreign exchange policies of major trading partners of the US that added Thail... Read more
17 Dec 2020
KResearch expects that the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will keep its policy rate steady at 0.50 percent during the meeting slated for December 23, 2020 because there are signs showing steady recovery in the Thai economy after the government implemented measures aimed at stimulating the economy a... Read more
16 Dec 2020
Auto hire purchase is another business that has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Its impact on purchasing power consequently affected the outstanding balance of auto loans in 3Q20, causing a slower growth rate at 3.5 percent, as opposed to 7.7 percent in 2019. The slowdown resulted from a dec... Read more
11 Dec 2020
The Baht gradually strengthened to test the THB30.00/USD level before a long holiday in Thailand. The Baht rose on weaker US dollar sentiment and the US dollar sell-offs from exporters. In addition, the Baht’s gains were led by foreign net buying orders for Thai stocks on Tuesday and for Thai bonds... Read more
4 Dec 2020
The Baht gradually strengthened in line with other regional currencies against the safe-haven US dollar. Meanwhile, the US dollar faced sell-offs amid hopes towards COVID-19 vaccines and easing monetary policy stance signaled by the Fed Chairman. In addition, the US dollar was under pressure from w... Read more
27 Nov 2020
The Baht edged slightly stronger, but the trading range remained narrow during the week. Most market participants kept an eye on the domestic political situation and signals from the relevant authorities to lessen the currency’s volatility. Meanwhile, foreign fund inflows slowed, especially in the b... Read more
20 Nov 2020
The Thai financial market has substantially been affected by increased volatility and downside risks in the global financial markets since the beginning of 2020. Recently, there was an influx of investment in assets within the emerging markets, including Thailand, following the US Presidential elect... Read more
The Baht rebounded despite the BOT’s measures to mitigate pressure on the currency. The Baht hit a new 10-month high of THB30.14/USD on net foreign stock and bond buying orders, as well as the appreciation of other Asian currencies due to encouraging news about COVID-19 vaccines. However, it weaken... Read more
16 Nov 2020
... Read more
13 Nov 2020
The Baht hit a 10-month high of THB30.175/USD before paring gains somewhat. The Baht strengthened early in the week along with other Asian currencies, after Democrat Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election and there was positive news about the COVID-19 vaccine. The Baht was also supported by h... Read more
6 Nov 2020
The Baht broke the THB31.00/USD level, boosted by stronger Yuan and other Asian currencies. Meanwhile, the US dollar faced sell-offs amid expectations that Democrat Joe Biden would be the winner of the 2020 presidential election. The Baht also gained on hefty net foreign bond buying orders of THB25... Read more
30 Oct 2020
22 Oct 2020
16 Oct 2020
The Baht weakened. The Baht weakened early in the week in line with other regional currencies, including the Yuan after the PBOC announced a cut in FX forward reserve requirements to 0%, from the previous 20%. The Baht also fell on net foreign stock selling orders. However, the Baht traded in a narr... Read more
9 Oct 2020
KResearch assesses that the pandemic-stricken economic environment continued to undermine commercial banks’ profitability in 3Q20, with both interest income and fee income on a declining trend that corresponds to the continuous slump in economic activity across many sectors. Moreover, the interest i... Read more
2 Oct 2020
The White House’s recent confirmation that President Donald Trump was diagnosed with coronavirus (COVID-19) is an issue that warrants close monitoring in the days ahead. KResearch views that President Trump’s illness may not affect his popularity as a Republican candidate for the US presidential ele... Read more
28 Sep 2020
Life insurance is among businesses that have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the first seven months of 2020, life insurance premiums contracted by 3.6 percent YoY, reaching THB 329 billion. For 2020, life insurance premiums are projected to shrink in the range of 6 to 2 percent ... Read more
25 Sep 2020
Changing economic conditions as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic present a number of challenges to personal loan (PLoan) service providers, both commercial banks and non-bank financial institutions. Key challenges include how to adjust strategies to reach targeted customers faster tha... Read more
The Baht pared losses somewhat, after having hit an almost 2-month low of THB31.67/USD. The Baht weakened along with falling risky assets and other regional currencies. Its sentiment was also weighed down by domestic political factors. Meanwhile, the US dollar rose on concerns about the global econo... Read more
22 Sep 2020
We at KResearch expect that the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will keep its policy rate steady at 0.50 percent during its meeting slated for September 23, 2020 to maintain the monetary policy space. The MPC may view that a policy rate cut to near zero is not necessary at this time because it can... Read more
The digital personal loan regulations promulgated in the most recent announcement of the Bank of Thailand encourage service providers to use alternative data that does not concern personal income data to assess the willingness and ability of borrowers’ debt payment. This arrangement reflects two pos... Read more
18 Sep 2020
The Baht strengthened further in line with the Yuan and other regional currencies, supported by news regarding the development of COVID-19 vaccines. Meanwhile, the US dollar faced sell-offs after the Fed signaled an easing monetary policy stance and vowed to keep low interest rates for a longer peri... Read more
11 Sep 2020
Preparedness for a new context in the financial world resulting from permanent cessation of the London Interbank Offer Rate (LIBOR) as an interest rate benchmark for financial transactions is an important mission of financial regulatory authorities in many countries. For Thailand, the Bank of Thaila... Read more
The Baht traded in a narrow range, but rose slightly against the US dollar. The Baht edged up early in the week in line with net foreign bond buying orders, as well as other Asian currencies, including the Yuan. Meanwhile, the US dollar faced sell-offs especially against the EUR after the ECB kept i... Read more
3 Sep 2020
The Baht weakened against the US dollar. It hit a 1-week low of THB31.45/USD before long holidays. The Baht fell along with net foreign stock selling orders, while the US dollar rose on stronger-than-expected US ISM and PMI manufacturing surveys. The Baht sentiment was also weighed down by concerns ... Read more
1 Sep 2020
KResearch views that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is an important catalyst in transforming the way Thai consumers conduct funds transfer and pay for goods and services. Such trends have given rise to the “New Normal” which is geared towards making money transfers and purchases that do not require p... Read more
28 Aug 2020
The Baht strengthened along with other regional currencies, including the Yuan, following positive signals seen in the US-China Phase 1 trade deal review and technically buying-orders during the week. The Baht extended gains later in the week and hit a 1-week high of THB31.16/USD, while the US dolla... Read more
21 Aug 2020
The Baht weakened against the US dollar. The baht briefly rose early in the week, as the US dollar fell along with US bond yields on the back of disappointing US economic data. However, the Baht tumbled later in the week amid concerns about domestic factors, including the political and COVID-19 situ... Read more
14 Aug 2020
The Baht rose slightly, while the US dollar dropped on US-China tensions before the scheduled meeting to discuss about the progress of Phase 1 trade deal. The US dollar also faced sell-offs amid concerns about the US new stimulus measures due to different stances between the White House and Congress... Read more
7 Aug 2020
The Baht fell later in the week, after having risen in early to mid week along with other regional currencies. In addition, the Baht was partially supported by the rising global gold prices. It broke the THB31.00/USD to hit a new 1-month high of THB30.98/USD. However, the baht pared gains somewhat l... Read more
23 Jul 2020
KResearch assesses that, as of 2020, digital lending service in Thailand is still in its infancy and modest in scale as digital lenders lack sufficient customer data for risk profile assessment. Therefore, digital lending service during this initial period is seen mainly as an alternative for existi... Read more
20 Jul 2020
Persistent weakness seen in the Thai economy as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic since early 2020 has substantially hurt the profitability of commercial banks during 2Q20. The highly volatile economic cycle at this time has pressured income of commercial banks’ core businesses and in ... Read more
17 Jul 2020
The Baht weakened to a 1-1/2 month low last week. The Baht depreciated continuously amid domestic pressures, including concerns over the risk of a second wave of COVID-19 in Thailand and domestic political issues. In addition, the Baht was pressured by technical factors after the Baht broke the key ... Read more
10 Jul 2020
The Baht weakened to a 1-month low last week. The Baht depreciated amid the US dollar buying orders after the Baht broke the key THB31.15/USD level early in the week. In addition, mounting concerns over the impact of worsening COVID-19 situation, especially in the US, on the global recovery supporte... Read more
7 Jul 2020
According to the latest information, Thailand’s outstanding household debt in 1Q20 fell by THB 3.56 billion compared to the previous quarter – down to THB 13.47 trillion, the first such drop in four and a half years, and close to the outstanding household debt of THB 13.48 trillion in late 2019; due... Read more
3 Jul 2020
The Baht traded at the weaker side of THB31.00/USD in line with some other regional currencies. The Baht also fell after the Bank of Thailand signaled that a stronger Baht could have negative impacts on Thailand’s economy, while related officials have considered needed measures to help stabilize the... Read more
26 Jun 2020
The Baht rose in line with other regional currencies amid easing lockdown measures. The Asian currencies were also supported by an assurance that the phase one US-China trade deal is still intact. The Baht rose slightly after the BOT’s MPC kept its policy rate unchanged at 0.50%. However, the Baht’s... Read more
22 Jun 2020
The Bank of Thailand (BOT) is forging ahead with its Phase II package of relief measures for small borrowers, which will emphasize relieving the financial burden of retail debtors by lowering the interest rate ceiling on credit cards and personal loans, as well as cutting the interest rate for refin... Read more
Regarding the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) Meeting on June 24, 2020, KResearch has assessed that the committee will consider putting the policy rate on hold at 0.50 percent as it waits to gauge the effectiveness of the monetary and fiscal measures that were previously issued. These measures inclu... Read more
19 Jun 2020
The Baht traded in a narrow range against the US dollar. The Baht weakened early to mid-week along with other regional currencies, as the US dollar gained as a safe-haven currency amid worries about a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in the US and China. The US dollar was also suppor... Read more
12 Jun 2020
The Baht broke the THB31.00/USD level to hit an over 4-month high of THB30.83/USD. The Baht rose early in the week in line with net foreign bond purchases, US dollar sales coming from exporters, as well as technical US dollar selling orders. In addition, the US dollar faced sell-offs after the Fed s... Read more
5 Jun 2020
The Baht hit the strongest level in 2-1/2 months, as the currency traded near THB31.45/USD. The Baht rose along with other regional currencies, as well as net foreign Thai stock and bond buying orders. The Baht gained, although the Bank of Thailand (BOT) has signaled to closely monitor the Bath’s mo... Read more
4 Jun 2020
In April 2020, many countries around the world, including Thailand, began to implement lockdown measures to combat the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This has resulted in economic stagnation. At the same time, foreign investors became net sellers of Thai stocks and bonds. Meanwhile, the Baht has g... Read more
29 May 2020
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has altered the business environment of commercial banks in two ways: 1) The speed of disruption has become faster; and, 2) There has been a “New Normal” environment in the commercial banking business. Such changes have inevitably affected business model of commer... Read more
The Baht gradually rose after having fallen early in the week on sell-offs of Thai stocks and bonds by foreign investors. Meanwhile, the US dollar was supported by its safe haven appeal amid rising tensions between the US-China. The Baht rebounded later in line with other regional currencies on hope... Read more
25 May 2020
The Monetary Policy Committee’s decision to trim its policy rate on May 20, 2020 has prompted commercial banks in Thailand to cut their interest rates once again a few days after that. Large commercial banks have concurrently announced to reduce their minimum loan rates (MLR), minimum retail rates (... Read more
22 May 2020
The Baht gradually strengthened, but pared gains somewhat at the end of the week. The Baht rose early in the week in line with the recovery of risky assets on hopes for the COVID-19 vaccine, which supported other regional currencies, as well. In addition, the sell-offs of US dollar by exporters and ... Read more
18 May 2020
KResearch expects the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to consider adjusting interest rate downward by 0.25 percent from the current level of 0.75 percent to 0.50 percent, amid this risk-prone economic environment. The Thai economy has been significantly affected by the outbreak of COVID-19, as it ex... Read more
15 May 2020
The Baht rose against the US dollar, and hit a 2-month high of THB32.02/USD around mid-week. The Baht rose amid net foreign bond buying orders and signs for reopening economic activities in many countries. Meanwhile, the US dollar fell on a disappointing US April CPI data, posting the biggest drop i... Read more
8 May 2020
The Baht rose to a 1-1/2 month high against the US dollar. The Baht edged down early in the week in line with net foreign stock and bond selling orders, while the US dollar rose as a safe-currency on worries about the global economic recession. However, the Baht rebounded strongly later in the week,... Read more
24 Apr 2020
The Baht rose slightly before paring gains somewhat later in the week. The Baht strengthened during early- to mid-week amid US dollar-selling orders from exporters, and net foreign bond buying orders. The Baht and other regional currencies also gained along with other risky assets, led by oil prices... Read more
17 Apr 2020
The Baht traded in a narrow range but rose slightly later in the week. The Baht weakened earlier in the week amid concerns about the impacts of COVID-19 on the global economy, including that of Thailand. However, the Baht recovered later in the week on USD-selling orders from exporters, while the US... Read more
10 Apr 2020
The Baht rose against the US dollar. The Baht gained early in the week along with other Asian risky assets on the back of hopes that the COVID-19 outbreak would lessen in many countries. Meanwhile, the US dollar faced sell-offs later in the week, after the Fed unveiled new relief measures worth USD2... Read more
8 Apr 2020
On 7 April 2020, the Bank of Thailand (BOT) issued additional measures to assist the private sector in combating the COVID-19 which primarily concern short-term liquidity boosting measures offered to small to medium enterprises (SMEs) that have been affected by the spread of the COVID-19 virus – a g... Read more
3 Apr 2020
The Baht weakened against the US dollar. The Baht was pressured by concerns over the economic impacts of COVID-19 worldwide, including Thailand, as well as net foreign stock and bond selling orders. In addition, the Baht fell along with other regional currencies. However, the Baht pared losses somew... Read more
27 Mar 2020
The Baht recovered, after having briefly weakened to THB33.00/USD amid concerns over negative impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak in Thailand, and net foreign fund outflows. The Baht, however, rebounded later in the week, as the US dollar tumbled on the Fed’s announcement on the unlimited QE measures. ... Read more
24 Mar 2020
The unfolding COVID-19 pandemic has created a new record for the Thai retail insurance market with the total sales of insurance policies projected to reach more than 1 million in March 2020 alone. If so, the total sales of insurance policies overall in 2020 may top roughly 2-3 million, representing ... Read more
20 Mar 2020
The Baht continued to weaken against the US dollar. The Baht fell along with net foreign stock and bond buying orders, as well as concerns about the Thai economic outlook due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The Baht hit a 15-month low of THB32.74/USD before rebounding somewhat later in the week, after sev... Read more
13 Mar 2020
The Baht weakened against the US dollar. The Baht fell while the global and Thai financial markets were highly volatile amid rising concerns towards the WHO’s announcement that the COVID-19 outbreak entered the pandemic phase. The Baht was also pressured by weak regional currencies, and net foreign ... Read more
6 Mar 2020
The Baht moved in the tight range throughout the week, although it strengthened at the end of the week. The Baht was under pressure (in line with other regional currencies) from concerns over the economic impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, while net foreign selling orders for Thai stocks and bonds dur... Read more
28 Feb 2020
The Baht rebounded later in the week, having recouped losses during early to mid-week, after the Baht weakened in line with other regional currencies amid growing concerns about the COVID-19 outbreak outside of China. The Baht also fell on net foreign selling orders for Thai stocks and bonds. The Ba... Read more
21 Feb 2020
The Baht weakened along with the Yuan and other regional currencies amid concerns about the COVID-19 outbreak situation, after there was an increase in COVID-19 infections outside China. In addition, the Baht fell on technical selling orders, after it broke the THB31.50/USD level. Signs of a weak ec... Read more
14 Feb 2020
The Baht rose slightly against the US dollar. The Baht was supported by net foreign buying orders for Thai bonds and strong regional currencies earlier in the week after a report showed that the rate of Coronavirus (COVID-19) infections slowed somewhat. However, news that there was a surge in COVID-... Read more
7 Feb 2020
The Baht weakened later in the week. The Baht rose slightly early in the week due to position adjustments before the BOT’s MPC meeting. However, the Baht dropped later during the rest of the week after the BOT decided to cut its policy rate to 1.00%, while the BOT governor said that although the Bah... Read more
31 Jan 2020
The Baht weakened in line with other regional currencies amid concerns over the economic impact of the novel coronavirus outbreak. In addition, the Baht was weighed down by net foreign stock selling during the week, and domestic US dollar demand at the month-end. ... Read more
24 Jan 2020
The Baht fell against the US dollar. The Baht rose early in the week along with regional currencies amid profit-taking on the US dollar’s gains fueled by strong US economic reports released before. However, the Baht reversed those gains and fell in line with Asian peers, led by the Yuan, on the back... Read more
22 Jan 2020
The reduction in home ownership transfer fee in early 2020 and the Bank of Thailand’s decision to relax its loan-to-value (LTV) regulations for first-and second-time home buyers on January 20, 2020, with the aim of promoting home ownership and increasing consumer house-buying power, will likely give... Read more
17 Jan 2020
Thailand’s household debt continued to surge amid the slowing economy as the size of the household debt relative to GDP rose to 79.1 percent in 3Q19, the highest in almost three years. The high level of household debt nationwide is consistent with KResearch’s survey on household debt and savings in ... Read more
15 Jan 2020
The Bank of Thailand recently revealed details on the improvements of calculation methods for interests and service charges, with the aim of protecting consumers in three areas. These include: 1) prepayment penalties for SME and personal loans; 2) default interests that must be based on outstanding ... Read more
10 Jan 2020
The Baht rebounded later in the week. The Baht moved within a tight range early in the week before hitting a 1-month low of THB30.37/USD in line with weak regional currencies amid concerns over rising tensions in the Middle East, as Iran attacked US troops in Iraq in response to US airstrike on Janu... Read more
3 Jan 2020
The Baht reversed gains and weakened against the US dollar in the first two trading days of the year, but it continued to be traded in a narrow range. The BOT signaled to closely monitor its movement after the Baht broke the THB30.00/USD level to hit a 6-1/2 year high of THB29.75/USD amid thin tradi... Read more
27 Dec 2019
The Baht rose to test THB30.15/USD amid the US dollar’s sell-offs on the back of weaker-than-expected US durable goods and new home sales data. However, the Baht’s weekly movement was tight due to thin trading volume before the year-end holidays. ... Read more
25 Dec 2019
According to the statements of assets and liability (C.B. 1.1) of 14 Thai commercial banks as of the end of November 2019, net loans increased only slightly despite the loan drawdown season. The marginal rise in net loans was due to the negative factors stemming from loan repayment by the business s... Read more
20 Dec 2019
The Baht rose to test the THB30.15/USD. The Baht strengthened on the back of strong regional currencies, led by the Yuan amid news reports that the US and China were close to finalize the first phase of a trade deal. The US dollar faced sell-offs after the Fed signaled that it would not raise its p... Read more
17 Dec 2019
We at KResearch expect that the Bank of Thailand’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will likely keep its policy rate steady at 1.25 percent during the final meeting of 2019 slated for December 18, 2019 pending a domestic economic assessment going forward. ... Read more
13 Dec 2019
6 Dec 2019
The Baht weakened against the US dollar. The Baht faced sell-offs early in the week in line with falling safe-haven currencies and assets, triggered by stronger-than-expected Chinese PMI data. The Baht fell further later in the week to a 1-month low of THB30.38/USD, after the BOT signaled to closely... Read more
29 Nov 2019
The Baht traded in a narrow range almost all trading days of the week. The Baht fell early in the week after both the US and Chinese Presidents signaled a possible trade deal between the two countries. The US dollar also gained on stronger-than-expected 3Q-2019 GDP and October durable goods orders d... Read more
25 Nov 2019
Net loans in October 2019 decreased from the previous month by 87.7 billion Baht amid the pressure on loans at almost all banks, especially from debt repayment by the corporate sector, SME business operators and the government. Nonetheless, retail loans, namely, personal loan and other unsecured loa... Read more
22 Nov 2019
The Baht traded in a narrow range. The Baht fell early in the week on the back of positive developments for the first phase of the US-China trade deal. However, the Baht rebounded and traded in a tight range later in the week after the US President Donald Trump threatened to raise tariffs on importe... Read more
19 Nov 2019
Digital-only banking is a banking business in the modern age that can be categorized into two types based on business models, which aim at different groups of customers: First, digital-only banks which focus on servicing low to medium income earners who face certain limitations in accessing financi... Read more
15 Nov 2019
The Baht strengthened against the US dollar. Regarded as a safe-haven currency, the Baht rose in line with the JPY amid concerns about the US-China trade talks. The US President Donald Trump said earlier in the week that there was no agreement yet to roll back tariffs on imported goods from China, a... Read more
13 Nov 2019
As the Thai economy has shown signs of slowing, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has decided to cut the policy rate for the second time this year to 1.25 percent per annum during its meeting on November 6, 2019. The central bank’s policy rate cut has been passed on to the interest rate reduction ... Read more
11 Nov 2019
When looking back at Thailand’s recent financial history, the search-for-yield behavior has always occurred regardless of how low or high the interest rate was at that given period. At any rate, during the slowing economy, which often comes with a low interest rate environment, people are more likel... Read more
8 Nov 2019
The Baht fell to THB30.43/USD, the weakest level in 3 weeks. The Baht faced hefty sell-offs after the BOT’s MPC decided to cut its policy rate to 1.25% and relaxed rules to facilitate capital outflows and lessen pressure on the Thai baht. Moreover, a weaker Baht was also in line with other safe-have... Read more
7 Nov 2019
On November 6, 2019, the Bank of Thailand (BOT) announced the “Relaxation of rules to facilitate capital outflows and lessen pressure on the Thai Baht”, while the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) resolved to cut its policy rate to 1.25 percent. Their concurrent actions have caused the Baht to weaken ... Read more
1 Nov 2019
Signs of a slowing economy in terms of exports, domestic spending and relatively low inflation reflect the vulnerabilities of the Thai economy, while the impact from the lackluster exports has begun seeping into the real economic sector. Although the government recently introduced a series of econom... Read more
The Baht traded in a narrow range near THB30.15/USD, which is the strongest level in over six years. The Baht briefly fell early in the week in line with a weaker JPY, which was seen as a safe-haven currency after the US and China signaled that they were close to finalize some parts of their trade d... Read more
25 Oct 2019
Net loans of commercial banks in September 2019 expanded within a limited range, due to lackluster signs of overall economic activity. Moreover, some big commercial banks have exercised a cautious approach in approving loans to ensure the quality of loans. Meanwhile, the growth of small and medium s... Read more
The Baht hit a new 6-year high. The Baht rose along with other regional currencies amid foreign investors’ net buying orders for Thai bonds early in the week. Meanwhile, the US dollar fell on weak US economic data, reinforcing expectations that the Fed would cut its benchmark rate further at the FOM... Read more