The Industry Ministry said yesterday that its Manufacturing Production Index (MPI) in September was up 0.6 per cent from a year earlier. A Reuters poll had forecast a decline of 0.3 per cent. In August, output rose a revised 3.18 per cent from a year earlier, rather than the 3.13-per-cent increase reported earlier, which was the highest growth in 40 months.
Industrial goods accounted for 81 per cent of total exports in September, which unexpectedly rose 3.4 from a year earlier, customs data showed. Exports are worth about two-thirds of Thailand’s gross domestic product.
Capacity utilisation rose to 65.23 per cent in September from August’s revised 64.42 per cent.
Exports have contracted in the past three years but there are indications the dire situation is turning around. On Friday, the Finance Ministry said it expected exports this year to shrink less than it initially forecast.
Separately, the Commerce Ministry said exports might not contract at all this year, with commodity prices expected to improve along with higher oil prices and global demand. – Reuters

GH BANK PRODUCT |FOR PARENTS’ HOME

Government Housing Bank has set aside Bt20 billion for a new mortgage product for customers needing to buy a home for their parents.
Chartchai Sirilai, president of GH Bank, said the product would have a fixed interest rate of 3.5 per cent per annum for the first four years.
The product is in line with the govern-ment policy to give importance to the ageing society and to encourage Thais who take responsibility to look after their parents, including their accommodation.
Chartchai also said customers who had shown good loan-repayment discipline for 48 months would be offered a 1-percentage-point interest-rate reduction.

MILLENNIALS FRAMING NEW REGIONAL LIFESTYLE TRENDS

Asia-Pacific millennials share similar long-term lifestyle priorities with other generations, despite often-superficial perceptions of this emerging superclass, according to CBRE research.
The findings of the report demons-trate that perceptions of millennials – people who reached adulthood around the year 2000 – as preferring informal employment, changing jobs regularly and avoiding financial responsibility are inaccurate in this region.
According to CBRE research, consistent with previous generations, most millennials save money to buy a home and spend prudently. The report also illustrates that this demographic aspires to carve out a stable career but take into account factors such as office design when selecting an employer – with 71 per cent of respondents willing to give up other benefits for a better office environment.
“The millennial demographic in Asia-Pacific is a game-changer for businesses across the board,” said Steve Swerdlow, chief executive officer of CBRE Asia Pacific. “Their life, work and play priorities and habits will shape economics, redefine opinions on workplace design and functionality, and drive new attitudes towards consumption and experience for the foreseeable future.”