24 Jan 2022
Econ Digest
Thailand’s exports continued to grow strongly by 24.2% in December 2021, with full-year growth coming in at 17.1%. The recovery of the global economy is expected to boost Thai exports growth by3.5%-4.3% in 2022... Read more
FileSize KB
11 Jan 2022
The latest Bank of Thailand household loan data reflects signs of more prudent borrowing in 3Q21, in line with the economic situation still hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, despite Thai households taking on more debt. As of 3Q21, Thailand’s outstanding household debt stood at THB14.35 trillion, up by 4... Read more
10 Jan 2022
Thai government plans to implement salt tax based on consumer health concerns…A challenge to business operators ... Read more
7 Jan 2022
Free trade deal RCEP comes into force on January 1, 2022, to boost regional trade and investment ... Read more
30 Dec 2021
The agreement between the United States (US) and the European Union (EU) to resolve the steel and aluminum tariff dispute on October 31, 2021, reflects a turning point for the US to reshape its international relations. Under the agreement, tariffs imposed under Section 232 on steel and aluminum prod... Read more
27 Dec 2021
Bangkok residents to celebrate the Year of the Tiger with an estimated spending of THB30.5 billion... Read more
24 Dec 2021
The MPC holds policy rate steady at 0.5% to support economic growth amid increasing risks from COVID-19 Omicron variant ... Read more
22 Dec 2021
Thai exports surged 24.7% in November 2021…Next year’s exports expected to continue to grow by 3.5-4.3% amid risk factors to be monitored... Read more
MPC Meeting on December 22, 2021: Policy rate likely to remain unchanged at 0.50% amid uncertainties of COVID-19 Omicron variant ... Read more
20 Dec 2021
The FOMC meeting on December 14-15, 2021, turned out as market expected…the Fed decided to accelerate its QE tapering program to end by March 2022 and signaled three rate hikes next year.... Read more
15 Dec 2021
The Fed is expected to signal faster monetary policy tightening at the FOMC meeting on December 14-15, 2021... Read more
24 Nov 2021
Full service restaurant business in 2022, back to life thanks to relaxation of lockdown measures ... Read more
23 Nov 2021
What if Thailand joins CPTPP following China, and the difference between CPTPP and RCEP (under the assumption that Thailand and China become members of both agreements)... Read more
12 Nov 2021
... Read more
8 Nov 2021
MPC Meeting on November 10, 2021: Policy rate likely to remain unchanged at 0.50% amid increasing positive economic factors... Read more
4 Nov 2021
In the third quarter of 2021, China’s economy faced a wide range of economic issues. Limited stimulus packages were introduced, resulting in a slowdown in the country’s economic growth to 4.9%YoY, following year-on-year growth of 18.3% and 7.9% in the first and second quarter respectively. ... Read more
26 Oct 2021
Relaxed Measures Allow an LTV Ratio of 100%... Measures to Cushion the Impact of Covid-19 Outbreak Affect the Recovery of the Real Estate Industry ... Read more
18 Oct 2021
In 2021, the world economy is gradually recovering. The Smart Factory Solutions (SFS) market in Thailand rebounded to grow by 10.3%. This has been boosted by demand from large companies forced to make adjustments to lessen their dependence on manual labor, and the proactive investment of Chi... Read more
15 Oct 2021
The COVID-19 outbreak in September began to stabilize, resulting in the relaxation of some outbreak control measures. This led to an increase in the KR-ECI in September from 33.0 in August to 36.6, in line with an increase in the 3-month Expected KR- ECI to 38.4 from 35.5 in August, as households he... Read more
14 Oct 2021
KResearch projects that the turnover of online platforms or B2C E-commerce (products only) will likely expand by 30%YoY in 2021 to approximately THB 300 billion. Supporting factors include the COVID-19 pandemic, which has altered consumer behaviors including the number of buyers and product diversit... Read more
12 Oct 2021
Consumers are willing to pay for eco-friendly products and services... Read more
5 Oct 2021
Since the beginning of 2021, most residential property developers have postponed the launch of their new projects due to unfavorable market conditions and a large accumulation of unsold residential units, forcing operators to adapt their business strategies to the market conditions. According to the... Read more
1 Oct 2021
At its meeting on September 21-22, 2021, the Federal Reserve (Fed) held its policy rate steady at 0.00-0.25% and kept the QE scale unchanged. However, the Fed Chairman has signaled that the Fed is likely to begin scaling back its asset purchases via the QE measure in November 2021 and to end it by m... Read more
30 Sep 2021
India’s economy grew at a record rate of 20.1%YoY in the second quarter of 2021 despite facing severe Delta Variant COVID-19 outbreak. Aside from this, India was the fifth-largest FDI recipient in 2020. These data reflect that India is stepping up to play a role in world’s production, as it becomes ... Read more
In August 2021, the COVID-19 outbreak became worse as the highly contagious Delta variant spread across several Asian countries, affecting economic activity and manufacturing sectors, and forcing a slowdown in export growth. This resulted in an 8.93% increase in Thailand’s exports in August, down fr... Read more
21 Sep 2021
The Fed is expected to maintain its policy rate within a range of 0.0-0.25%, and may not announce its QE tapering program at the upcoming Federal Open Market Committee meeting on September 21-22, 2021. In this case, there will be no change from what the market has already anticipated: that the Fed w... Read more
14 Sep 2021
KResearch assesses that spending on home care services in Thailand will likely reach THB2.2-2.3 billion during 2021, representing a growth of 2.4%YoY. Although the market is being supported by an additional number of service providers, a more diverse range of services and the COVID-19 pandemic, whic... Read more
9 Sep 2021
The persistent COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand and the rising number of daily cases are set to generate an increased amount of infectious waste during the remainder of 2021. KResearch projects that the amount of infectious waste, mostly stemming from disease prevention and control, will reach roughly ... Read more
3 Sep 2021
The export value of Thai mangosteens during the first 7 months of 2021 grew by 21.8% from the same period last year. Although export volumes have declined due to a supply disruption caused by a shortage of labor to harvest produce as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak, the output to the market during... Read more
26 Aug 2021
KResearch projects that the value of home medical and assistive living devices for the elderly in Thailand will be between THB8-9 billion in 2021, accounting for 8-10% of the total value of Thailand’s medical equipment and devices market. Most of the market value will come from the commercial secto... Read more
25 Aug 2021
Thai exports maintained strong growth in July 2021 at 20.27%YoY, the highest in 11 years and above the market forecast of 19.7%YoY. Export growth during the first seven months of 2021 was 16.2%, in line with other countries in the region, ... Read more
17 Aug 2021
As of July 2021, KR-ECI drops to 34.7, down from 35.1 during the nationwide lockdown in April 2020. The 3-month Expected KR-ECI slipped to 36.6 from 38.9 in June 2021, indicating that Thai households remain concerned about the economy and making ends meet, especially in terms of income and e... Read more
16 Aug 2021
Thailand was a leader in the medical tourism market in Asia before COVID-19 emerged. The number of medical tourists, especially those coming for health check-ups, cosmetic surgery, dentistry, orthopedic surgery and cardiac surgery, was on a rising trend. Medical tourism generated medical revenue of ... Read more
11 Aug 2021
U.S.-China Competition: Evolving from protectionist measures to legal tools in the race for global leadership in the new era ... Read more
Understand What Makes a “Gen Z” First Jobber ... Read more
3 Aug 2021
KResearch expects the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to keep the policy steady at 0.5% at its meeting on August 4, 2021 to support Thailand’s economic recovery. Due to the rising risk of the COVID-19 pandemic and the soaring number of infections, the government must extend and adopt stricter contai... Read more
2 Aug 2021
KResearch views that spending on health tech in Thailand remains modest at around THB 300-400 million in 2021. However, in line with the shift to an aged society in Thailand and consumers trends that favor preventive health behaviors, the COVID-19 pandemic has quickly elevated the role of technology... Read more
29 Jul 2021
In June 2021, Thai exports hit their highest level in 11 years with robust growth of 43.82%YoY, above market expectations of 38.1% growth. While Thai exports in the first half of 2021 grew 15.53% YoY, the level was not high in comparison to the export growth of other regional countries, w... Read more
23 Jul 2021
KResearch projects that the market value of snack business will reach THB37.5 billion in 2021, representing a contraction of 4.0%YoY, against the 2.6% growth reported for 2020, due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic has caused consumers to be thrift and spend cautiously. As snacks are generally perc... Read more
21 Jul 2021
Trade protectionism is on the rise. On June 24, 2021, the U.S. Department of Commerce, after a final hearing, announced the imposition of antidumping duty (AD) and counter-vailing duties (CVD) on passenger vehicle tires (HS4011.10) and light truck tires (HS4011.20.1005 and HS4011.20.5010) from South... Read more
19 Jul 2021
KResearch has revised the growth forecast for the Thai economy in 2021 down to 1.0%, from its previous forecast of 1.8%, because a more severe COVID-19 outbreak than previously estimated would lead to the need for stricter COVID-19 containment measures, with more of a negative impact on business sec... Read more
14 Jul 2021
The Baht has weakened sharply, as authorities have had to cope with the Delta variant amid heightened risks from the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic that has proven to be difficult to control. The Baht hit a 15-month low at THB32.73 per USD during trading sessions on July 9, 2021, and risks pose... Read more
13 Jul 2021
The KR Household Economic Condition Index (KR-ECI) 2021 fell from 37.3 in May to 36.7 in June, while the 3-month Expected KR-ECI in June 2021 also dropped from 39.4 to 38.9 over the same period, suggesting that households were still concerned about the rising cost of living. Uncertainties about COVI... Read more
8 Jul 2021
The export value of Thai durian reached a monthly record high of USD934.9 million in May 2021, with growth of 95.3%YoY, ranking in second place among Thailand’s key export agricultural products. Going forward, there will still be more opportunities to set new records. Thai durian has performed well ... Read more
6 Jul 2021
1 Jul 2021
China’s economic role in the CLMV has substantially increased over the past years, particularly in trade via a number of strategies, aimed at building its economic influence both physical connectivity and institutional connectivity, which has contributed to the acceleration of trade between CLMV and... Read more
30 Jun 2021
The government has announced partial lockdown measures, including the prohibition of construction work, primarily at large construction projects for at least 30 days in the maximum and strict controlled zones (dark red) of six provinces, namely Bangkok, Nakhon Pathom, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut... Read more
29 Jun 2021
คาดกิจกรรมการซื้อที่อยู่อาศัยในกรุงเทพฯและปริมณฑลปี 2564 หดตัวต่อเนื่องเป็นปีที่ 3 โดยมีตัวแปรการฟื้นตัวที่สำคัญคือสถานการณ์โควิด19 ความคืบหน้าในการฉีดวัคซีน และแผนกระตุ้นเศรษฐกิจ ... Read more
28 Jun 2021
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revised upward its 2021 growth forecast for the global economy to 6.0% from the prior estimate of 5.5% to reflect its optimism on solid recovery in post-pandemic 2021. The recovery will be led by large economies, particularly the US and China, which may in t... Read more
25 Jun 2021
ส่งออกไทยเดือนพ.ค. 64 ขยายตัวสูงสุดในรอบเกือบ 11 ปีที่ 41.59% YoY และเมื่อหักสินค้าเกี่ยวเนื่องกับน้ำมัน ทองคำ และอาวุธ ยุทธปัจจัย ส่งออกไทยเดือนพ.ค. ขยายตัวที่ 45.87% YoY ส่งผลให้การส่งออกไทย 5 เดือนแรกปีนี้ขยายตัว 10.78% YoY และเมื่อหักสินค้าเกี่ยวเนื่องกับน้ำมัน ทองคำ และอาวุธ ยุทธปัจจัย การส่งออ... Read more
24 Jun 2021
Nano-finance has continued to grow since its first launch in 2015 but slowed down in 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreaks. The major credit providers have suspended new lending due to the costs of customer screening and debt collection, resulting in a reduction in outstanding loan balance to THB17,441... Read more
22 Jun 2021
KResearch expects that the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will keep its policy rate on hold at 0.50% during the meeting on June 23, 2021, in order to support Thailand's economic recovery amid low inflationary pressures. The Thai economy remains fraught with risks from the COVID-19 outbreak with a c... Read more
18 Jun 2021
The global outbreak of COVID-19 and the intensifying trade and technology wars between the US and China have prompted multinational companies in various industries to recognize the vulnerability of the global supply chain and to diversify the concentration risk in China. ... Read more
16 Jun 2021
KResearch projects that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will maintain its policy rate within the range of 0.0-0.25% at its meeting on June 15-16, 2021. ... Read more
15 Jun 2021
KResearch has assessed that Thai car exports in 2021 should improve from the previous year, thanks to the economic recovery of major trading partners in Oceania and Asia. At the same time, an increasing number of Japanese car manufacturers are using Thailand as a production base for export markets, ... Read more
10 Jun 2021
Since the end of 2020, the global automotive industry has continued to experience chip shortages, mainly stemming from the structural vulnerability of the automotive chip manufacturing industry. Multiple reasons for fluctuation in chip supply and demand have added to the shortage, including COVID-19... Read more
9 Jun 2021
The National Electric Vehicle Policy Committee has set a challenging new target to achieve 100% of Thailand’s total vehicle production capacity as zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) within 2035, to establish Thailand as one of the world’s key ZEV production bases. KResearch expects that this move will su... Read more
2 Jun 2021
After the Thai government approved the commercial use of hemp, effective from March 29, 2021, downstream industries have welcomed the decision and accelerated the planning of utilization and development of value-added products utilizing hemp. In particular, the food and beverage market has begun to ... Read more
1 Jun 2021
KResearch recently conducted a survey on views of parents towards the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic during the 2021 school year. The poll was made on a random sample of 600 persons in the Bangkok Metropolitan area. The survey suggests that 88.5% of the parents are concerned and have no confidence if the... Read more
31 May 2021
While the COVID-19 outbreak will continue to prolong and delay the economic recovery, factors affecting liquidity in Thailand’s financial system are increasing this year, both from the government’s need to increase spending to support the economy and from private funding through corporate bonds and ... Read more
28 May 2021
Thailand’s inflation data began to rise in April 2021, causing many parties to pay more attention to this issue as it comes at a time when the economy has not recovered yet. The headline inflation (CPI) rose to 3.41% in April this year, in line with inflation trends of many countries, although the a... Read more
27 May 2021
Competition in the beverage industry has continued to intensify recently, as evidenced by the launch of new products and the entry of new operators, which have affected the overhead costs of business. In addition, the global uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 situation and the new wave of COVID-19... Read more
25 May 2021
24 May 2021
The Cabinet recently has resolved to approve an executive decree to borrow an additional THB700 billion on the top of the previous THB1 trillion loan. This additional borrowing decree will help enhance the government’s flexibility to revitalize the country’s economy. The actual use of the new loan w... Read more
21 May 2021
Like many countries around the world, Thailand is now facing accelerating inflation. Thailand’s inflation rose 3.41%YoY in April 2021, which accelerated from -0.08%YoY in March 2021. Although the rising inflation in April 2021 was caused by the low base from last year due to the impact of the first ... Read more
20 May 2021
The Thai economy in the first quarter of 2021 shrank 2.6%YoY, less than the market forecast of -3.3%, driven mainly by the global economic recovery and domestic stimulus packages.... Read more
19 May 2021
US inflation surged above market forecasts in April 2021: headline inflation rose 4.2%YoY while core inflation reached 3.0%YoY. Such increases were driven by improving domestic demand following accelerated vaccination efforts and continuous issuance of stimulus packages. On the other hand, supplies ... Read more
18 May 2021
The COVID-19 outbreak has accelerated the growth of mobile banking and e-wallet transactions. A survey conducted by KResearch found that Thai consumers conduct funds transfers and payments for goods and services 19 times per week via mobile banking and e-wallet applications, up from 17 times per wee... Read more
14 May 2021
On April 29, 2021, President Biden's 100th day address to the US Congress also holds significance for solving the COVID-19 crisis to restore the US economy, fiscal policy and international policy，especially stance towards China.... Read more
11 May 2021
KResearch expects that the third wave of the COVID-19 outbreak will cause domestic car sales in the second quarter of 2021 to be 150,000-155,000 units... Read more
10 May 2021
Agricultural product prices in the first four months of 2021 were mostly favorable, especially the prices of rubber, cassava, sugar cane and oil palm, reflecting through Agricultural Price Index that rose approximately 10.4%. Supportive factor was the demand both at home and abroad despite facing th... Read more
5 May 2021
KResearch projects that the two waves of COVID-19 within three months will have caused Thailand's number of inbound tourists to drop to 35,000 in the first half of 2021. Other pressure factors include the postponement of the tourism re-opening plan, limited availability of COVID-19 vaccines in Thail... Read more
4 May 2021
KResearch expects that the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will keep its policy rate steady at 0.50% during the meeting scheduled for May 5, 2021 to support economic recovery... Read more
28 Apr 2021
KResearch has compiled key financial data from the consolidated financial statements of 9 commercial banks and their subsidiaries for the first quarter of 2021. The results reveal that these commercial banks and their subsidiaries recorded a net profit of THB46.071 billion, or a growth of 47.4%QoQ c... Read more
27 Apr 2021
Thai exports grew by 2.27% in 1Q21, supported by global economic recovery, and are expected to grow by 7.0% for the whole year ... Read more
KResearch projects that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will maintain its policy rate within the range of 0.0-0.25% at its meeting on April 27-28, 2021. While the US economy has shown signs of recovery following expedited vaccination efforts, with business activities able to return to normal amid the cons... Read more
26 Apr 2021
The Thai government has removed particular parts and extracts of cannabis and hemp from its list of illegal drugs (except for cannabis inflorescences and seeds), effective from December 15, 2020 onwards. This move has sparked widespread interest both from consumers and producers, and has brought up ... Read more
23 Apr 2021
Thailand's xEV vehicle registration in the first two months of 2021 was 9,164 units, or a growth of 42.6%YoY. KResearch expects that if the new outbreak of COVID-19 can be contained, in tandem with automobile manufacturers’ market promotion for xEVs being in the range of lower than THB1 million, the... Read more
Amid positive signs seen in the global economic recovery, Myanmar is experiencing political turmoil at home. The country's image in the eye of Western nations is at peril after the US suspended the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) that it had entered into with Myanmar in 2013. This me... Read more
22 Apr 2021
China's economy in 1Q21 grew 18.3%YoY, this surge was primarily attributed to a low base in 1Q20. On a QoQ basis, which may better depict the present economic growth, China's economy grew by a mere 0.6% due to the fragility of private consumption, the uneven recovery of the manufacturing sector and ... Read more
21 Apr 2021
KResearch projects that the Thai economy will grow at slow rate of only 1.8% in 2021, against prior estimate of 2.6%, because the current COVID-19 pandemic in the country is much worse than the previous one. The increased concern over the domestic COVID-19 situation has prompted consumers to adjust ... Read more
20 Apr 2021
The latest figures from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports show that domestic tourism in Thailand surged by more than 30% in February 2021 compared to January 2021, when the country was hit hard by the second wave of COVID-19. Thailand’s domestic tourism market was again hit hard by the third outbre... Read more
19 Apr 2021
Thailand has reported a record daily rise in confirmed COVID-19 cases for several consecutive days after entering a new wave of the pandemic. On April 16, 2021, Thailand’s COVID-19 reproduction rate set a record high at 2.28%, which was higher than the world’s average rate at 1.11% and was also high... Read more
16 Apr 2021
The KR-ECI rebounded to 40.4 in March 2021 from 39.5 in February 2021 due to the easing of outbreak control measures prompted by the improving COVID-19 situation, with the cancellation of all red zones and with all restaurants and entertainment venues being allowed to operate during specified shorte... Read more
12 Apr 2021
Vietnam's economy in 1Q21 grew 4.48 percent YoY, below expectations, owing to the impact of COVID-19 outbreak in early 2021. As a result, domestic consumption and economic activity have only seen limited recovery. Likewise, foreign direct investment (FDI) has also experienced a slowdown, particular... Read more
8 Apr 2021
KResearch projects that Bangkok residents will spend an average of THB5,700 per person during Songkran in 2021 (based on a 6-day average), resulting in a total spending of THB24 billion, at a 4.0% contraction compared to Songkran in 2019 (Songkran in 2020 was postponed). Consumers remain concerned a... Read more
5 Apr 2021
According to the latest report on loans to household in 4Q20, household debt exceeded THB14 trillion as of the 2020 year-end, which is the highest ever recorded in 18 years. This figure amounts to 89.3 percent of 2020 GDP. In terms of growth, outstanding household debt, however, grew only 3.9 percen... Read more
1 Apr 2021
The application of technologies in restaurant businesses: only paying attention to business fundamentals is not enough to cope with the rapidly changing business environment.... Read more
30 Mar 2021
The Suez Canal is a fast channel for ocean cargo transportation between Asia and Europe which can save fuel costs and shorten transit time between the two regions. The incident in which the Ever Given, a huge cargo ship, ran aground on the Suez Canal causing a channel blockage will have a serious i... Read more
25 Mar 2021
Lira depreciation crisis... stems from complicated issues... Read more
Thai economy has passed its most difficult time in 2021...although has not yet fully recovered, while businesses may face rising costs ... Read more
23 Mar 2021
KResearch assesses that the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will likely keep its policy rate steady at 0.50% during the meeting scheduled for March 24, 2021 ... Read more
16 Mar 2021
KResearch assesses that the US Federal Reserve (Fed) will likely maintain its policy rate at 0.0-0.25% during the upcoming FOMC meeting that is slated for March 16-17, 2021. Although the US economy exhibits signs of recovery, it may take a while to fully bounce back, thus prompting the Fed to keep i... Read more
10 Mar 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic over the past year has brought changes to the business sector and consumers, and prompted them to increasingly use digital technology in their businesses and daily life. At the same time, the transition to 5G technology and smart electrical appliances has been accelerated, thus... Read more
8 Mar 2021
2 Mar 2021
Soon after Thai private companies were stripped of their concessions for the Dawei Deep Sea Port Project, the Myanmar military seized power over their civilian government, resulting in changes in the political landscape in Myanmar and creating a new business contender. What will be the impact to Tha... Read more
24 Feb 2021
Thailand's outward trade posted steady growth over-month in January 2021 as the global economy began to recover. Excluding gold, Thai exports increased 6.3%, suggesting stronger demand for Thai products abroad, in particular automotive accessories, which surged 18.8%YoY. Shipments of work-from-home ... Read more
19 Feb 2021
The stock market’s rise in response to volatility along with foreign investors holding net selling positions is not unique to the Thai stock market, as several Asian stock markets including Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam are also under pressure from foreign sell-offs. ... Read more
16 Feb 2021
Quantitative easing (QE) is an unconventional form of monetary policy tool which is typically used by central banks of many countries and regions, including the United States, Europe, the UK and Japan, in helping address their economic woes after having to cut their policy interest rates to near 0%.... Read more
11 Feb 2021
Bitcoin…An option for portfolio diversification?... Read more
10 Feb 2021
New COVID-19 outbreak caused KR-ECI to drop from the previous month... Read more
8 Feb 2021
More dynamic relationships between Myanmar and Western powers have been imperative in the development of Myanmar's economy over the past decade. As a result, the country has reported relatively impressive economic growth on the back of increased foreign investment, thus helping bolster its exports a... Read more
29 Jan 2021
The Federal Reserve (Fed) ended its first meeting of 2021 on the night of January 27, 2021 (Thailand time) with the following highlights: ... Read more
27 Jan 2021
The yields in the Thai bond market tend to gradually rise in 2021, especially medium term to under 10-year government bonds, due to two major factors: 1) the possibility of rising US treasury bond yields if the US is able to control the outbreak of COVID-19 and the approval of President Joe Biden’s ... Read more
26 Jan 2021
KResearch projects that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will keep the US policy rate within the range of 0.00-0.25 percent, without announcing any additional monetary easing tools, at the upcoming Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting to be held on January 26-27, 2021. While the Fed is expected to ... Read more
25 Jan 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to persist worldwide, including in Thailand. In spite of this, hopes for COVID-19 vaccines, less stringent lockdown measures than the previous round of the pandemic and economic stimulus measures introduced by many countries supported Thai exports in December 2020 to ... Read more
22 Jan 2021
A new outbreak of COVID-19 that tends to become more severe has made it necessary for the authorities of many countries to urgently launch additional measures in order to help those affected and limit the risks that may occur to overall economic recovery. A clear example is that the US has released ... Read more
21 Jan 2021
The economy of China in the fourth quarter of 2020 grew by 6.5%YoY, amounting to full-year growth that exceeded projections, at 2.3% YoY. The figures reflect China's success in efficiently controlling the COVID-19 pandemic and implementing both monetary and fiscal stimuli in a timely and effective m... Read more
20 Jan 2021
On December 30, 2020, the US Department of Commerce announced affirmative preliminary determinations in the antidumping duty (AD) investigations of passenger vehicle and light truck tires from Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea and Vietnam. Its final determinations in these cases are scheduled for mid-20... Read more
19 Jan 2021
Thai agriculture remained stable in 2020, supported by agricultural products prices that surged 4.5%YoY due to the drought that led to a huge drop in production in the first half of 2020. The exports of Thai agricultural products during the first 11 months of 2021 contracted only 3.9%YoY, putting le... Read more
18 Jan 2021
Soy milk is a common plant-based drink that is available in both freshly boiled and ready-to-drink bottled/boxed forms, and currently holds the largest market share in the plant-based milk beverage market. The soy milk beverage market has become increasingly competitive due to the entry of new opera... Read more
16 Jan 2021
During this period, investors in the stock market have probably heard the term “low free float shares” almost every day, because it is one of the suspicious factors that have caused the stock market to fluctuate so much recently. However, for new investors to learn more, they must first take a step ... Read more
15 Jan 2021
The restaurant industry in 2021 is still as highly risky as it was in 2020. The new wave of local COVID-19 transmissions, fierce competition among businesses and yet-to-recover purchasing power will affect any recovery of restaurants in 2021 to varying degrees. Full-service restaurants may recover o... Read more
14 Jan 2021
It is commonplace in Thailand to harvest sugarcane supplied to sugar mills by burning the sugarcane before cutting it, with an average of up to 65.5% of sugarcane being burned in the past 10 crop years. This practice increases local PM2.5 dust, in addition to resulting in payments to farmers being r... Read more
13 Jan 2021
Households were concerned about the overall economic and living conditions in December 2020 as well as for the following three months. The KR Household Economic Condition Index (KR-ECI) and the 3-month Expected KR-ECI fell from 41.0 and 41.1 in November 2020 to 40.2 and 40.7 respectively in December... Read more
12 Jan 2021
The US designated Vietnam as a currency manipulation country, primarily due to Vietnam's interference in the Dong as evidenced by Vietnam’s net foreign currency purchases, which were equivalent to 5.1 percent of GDP, exceeding the benchmark set at 2.0 percent of GDP. The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) ... Read more
11 Jan 2021
The United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) have finally reached an agreement prior to the end of the transition period in their post-BREXIT relationship. From January 1, 2021, both parties will continue to trade goods without import duties as before. KResearch views that the agreement will ... Read more
7 Jan 2021
Since the start of 2021, major global and Asian currencies, including the Chinese Yuan, have continued to strengthen while the US dollar 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 level... Read more
With exports of non-inverter air conditioners on a decline trend over the past year, Thailand has the opportunity to benefit from the increased demand for general inverter air conditioners in emerging countries. However going forward, in addition to its original competitor China, Thailand may face c... Read more
6 Jan 2021
The auto hire purchase industry is another area that has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The outstanding balance of auto loans in the commercial banking system at the end of 3Q20 had grown at a slower pace of 3.5 percent. The slowdown resulted from a decrease in newly approved credit and a d... Read more
In the first 9 months of 2020, the revenue of listed private hospitals declined 14.2 percent (YoY) and the profit declined 54.8 percent (YoY). Under the assumptions of no second wave of local COVID-19 outbreak, of the government's gradual easing of travel restrictions to allow for more international... Read more
5 Jan 2021
According to the latest Bank of Thailand data in 3Q20, Thailand’s loans to households or household debt remains high and continues to trend upwards, bucking the signs of a weakening economy. Outstanding household debt has reached 86.6% of the GDP, an 18-year high. KResearch found signs of accelerati... Read more
In recent years, it has become clear that the US has increasingly taken a variety of measures to protect its trade interests with its international trading partners. On 16th December 2020, the US Department of Treasury labeled Vietnam as a currency manipulator to benefit its exports in the report of... Read more
30 Dec 2020
The domestic auto market has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. KResearch projects that sales in the Thai automotive industry in 2020 will reach 770,000 units, a contraction of 23.6% YOY. However, the trend for vehicle sales in Thailand will have a chance to rebound in 2021, provided t... Read more
29 Dec 2020
The new wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a blow to Thai tourism, which had just begun to bounce back. Although the government has issued measures to control the COVID-19 outbreak, it has yet to restrict cross-provincial travel. A KResearch survey shows that more than 54.8% of Bangkok resident... Read more
KResearch views that overall construction costs may increase by approximately 1.03-1.33% per project in 2020, as COVID-19 preventive measures may drive up construction costs by 0.2-0.5% per project while labor costs will rise by another 0.83% per project due to labor shortages. ... Read more
28 Dec 2020
Thailand is the world's second largest exporter of rubber gloves. In the first ten months of 2020, the export value of Thai rubber gloves reached USD1.7251 billion or grew by 72%YoY, in which medical surgical gloves accounted for 15% of the total export value while other types of gloves (including g... Read more
25 Dec 2020
Thai exports exhibited improving signs in November 2020 by shrinking only 3.65%YoY compared with a 6.71%YoY contraction in October 2020. Excluding oil-related products, gold and arms, November exports contracted only 2.09%YoY.... Read more
23 Dec 2020
A new wave of COVID-19 originating from the shrimp market in Samut Sakhon province has led to an increase in infection cases and resulted in a lockdown in this province from December 19, 2020 to January 3, 2021. Infected individuals have been found to have spread to many areas in multiple provinces.... Read more
22 Dec 2020
KResearch assesses that southern rubber and palm oil growers may lose approximately THB6.6 billion in income due to the impact of flooding from December 2020 to March 2021. ... Read more
19 Dec 2020
The U.S. Department of the Treasury (USDT) publishes the report of the Macroeconomic and Foreign Exchange Policies of Major Trading Partners of the United States twice a year, in order to review and monitor its trading partners’ policy directions. The U.S. has set three conditions/criteria in determ... Read more
18 Dec 2020
KResearch expects that the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will keep its policy rate steady at 0.50% during the meeting scheduled for December 23, 2020, since there are signs of gradual recovery in the Thai economy. Meanwhile, the economy is expected to benefit continuously from the Thai government’... Read more
14 Dec 2020
KResearch assesses that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will likely keep its policy rate steady at 0.00-0.25% and will not announce additional monetary easing tools during the Federal Open Markets Committee (FOMC) meeting slated for December 15-16, 2020, ... Read more
10 Dec 2020
A survey conducted by KResearch on spending behavior of Bangkok residents during the 2021 New Year festival shows that 42.5% of respondents are choosing to celebrate the festival in Bangkok to avoid traffic jams, as some respondents have been traveling during the long-holiday since the beginning of ... Read more
8 Dec 2020
Gold has been one of the most profitable assets of 2020. On December 4, 2020, the spot gold price in the global market rose 21% from the end of last year to USD1,840 per ounce, while the domestic gold price rose 22% to THB26,250 per Baht(Thai unit of measurement). For new investors interested in inv... Read more