#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Thailand targets bigger slice of Bt35tn halal export market

EconSep 29. 2020

By The Nation

Thailand is aiming to become one of the world’s top 10 shippers of halal food, helping Thai exports recover from their 14-per-cent drop this year due to the Covid-19 impact.

The Federation of Thai Industries expects revenue from halal exports to rise 5 per cent in 2021 from Bt900 billion this year, as Thailand grabs a larger slice of a Bt35-trillion global market.

Demand for halal products like canned tuna, fresh fruit, and chicken has expanded despite the virus crisis, driven by 2.2 billion Muslim consumers worldwide.

The world’s top 10 exporters are the United States, Netherlands, Brazil, Germany, China, Spain, France, Canada, Italy and Belgium. Thailand ranks 12th in the world, third in Asia and first in Asean with export revenue of Bt909 billion.

In the first six months of 2020, Thailand earned Bt449 billion from halal exports.

The country’s top five halal markets are China (137.8 million Muslims), 57 Muslim countries (OICs), the US (6.8 million), India (265.8 million) and Russia (24.7 million). is vegetables, fruits, rice, sugar, meat, poultry such as chicken and aquatic animals such as shrimp, fish, as well as processed products, ready-to-eat meals, seasonings, beverages, and snacks.

Wisit Limluecha, head of the Federation of Thai Industries’ food industry division, said demand for halal foods is likely to grow next year.

“Countries’ purchasing power is down due to Covid-19, but next year if the situation improves it should grow 3-5 per cent. Thai restaurants across the world, which number about 20,000, are another export channel for halal ingredients,” Wisit said.

“Thailand has the opportunity to join the top 10 exporters of halal food in the world, with an emphasis on innovative and premium products,” he added.

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

August indicators show Thai economy recovering

EconSep 29. 2020

By The Nation

Economic indicators for August show significant improvement from July but suggest the economy is still contracting, according to the Finance Ministry.

Releasing its monthly economic report on Monday, the ministry’s Fiscal Policy Office predicted the economic situation would get better in the third quarter after a sharp contraction of 12.2 per cent in the second quarter. 

Reopening the country to tourists would also boost the recovery, said fiscal policy adviser Wuttipong Jittungsakul, referring to a plan to allow foreign travellers back into Thailand next month. Before the Covid-19 travel ban, Thailand welcomed 6.7 million foreign tourists this year.

August’s revenue from value added tax (VAT), an indicator of private consumption, fell 3.8 per cent year on year – but far less than the 11.6 per cent drop in July. Car sales rose 14.8 per cent from July, but contracted 35.5 per cent year on year. Motorcycle registration dropped 2.5 per cent year on year, compared to 5.8 per cent contraction in July.

Farmers’ income increased for the second month in a row, by 9.2 per cent, up from 3.8 per cent in July. The consumer confidence index rose for the fourth consecutive month, to 51. Effective control of Covid-19, relaxation of restrictions, and implementation of aid packages had helped boost consumer spending. The fiscal Policy Office predicted the economic situation in the third quarter (July-September) would be better than the second quarter, he said.

Private investment also improved slightly, with imports of capital goods and commercial cars increasing 1.5 per cent and 13.1 per cent respectively from July. They dropped year-on-year, but at a decelerating rate of 11.5 and 0.5 per cent.

Cement sales in August rose 2.7 per cent year on year but were flat compared to sales in July. However the property sector remained on a downward trajectory, with tax revenue from real estate transactions dropping 6.9 per cent from July and 14.1 per cent year on year.

Exports in dollar terms contracted 7.9 per cent in August, better than the 11.4 per cent contraction in July.

Budget disbursement rose 9.2 per cent year on year in August with a monthly increase of 3.3 per cent.

Meanwhile, Pisit Puapan, executive director of the Finance Ministry’s Macroeconomic Policy Bureau, said economic indicators in August pointed to recovery in all four regions of the country.

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Expert highlights risk of investing in large-cap Thai equity funds

EconSep 29. 2020

By The Nation

Investors should be aware of downside risks as the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) falls, a leading market analyst has cautioned.

Chayanee Juengmanon, a senior analyst at Morningstar Research, said her firm’s study of large-cap equity funds, which are expected to recover next year, showed they carried a high risk.

“Also, the company compared returns from high-risk and low-risk funds and found that their upside capture ratios were 105.4 and 64.6 respectively, while the downside capture ratios were 98.5 and 79.07,” she explained.

“This comparison shows that high-risk equity funds offer the chance of high returns when the market rises, but may drop sharply when the market falls.”

She noted that the five equity funds with the highest returns in the previous three years as of September 25 were all in negative territory: Asset Plus Equity RMF Fund (ASP-ERF) at -1.54 per cent and -1.99 per cent, LH Strategy Equity Fund-Accumulation (LHSTRATEGY-A) at -12.13 per cent and -2.39 per cent, LH Strategy Equity Fund-Auto Redemption (LHSTRATEGY-R) at -12.12 per cent and -2.4 per cent, LH Strategy Equity Fund-Dividend (LHSTRATEGY-D) at -12.12 per cent and -2.41 per cent, and Asset Plus High Growth LTF Tax Benefit (ASP-GLTF-T) at -4.25 per cent and -3.03 per cent.

“The ASP-ERF fund has a policy to make long-term investment in stocks with good fundamentals focusing on market conditions,” she said.

She added that the top five stocks held by ASP-ERF as of August 31 were Sri Trang Gloves (Thailand) (STGT) at 8.31 per cent, Airports of Thailand (AOT) at 5.19 per cent, Minor International (MINT) at 5.19 per cent, PTT at 4.49 per cent and JMT Network Services at 4.1 per cent.

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

SET rebounds almost 1.5% after week of losses

EconSep 28. 2020

By The Nation

The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) Index closed at 1,263.02 on Monday, up 18.08 points or 1.45 per cent. Total transactions amounted to Bt41.29 billion with an index high of 1,264.50 and a low of 1,251.12.

In the morning session, an analyst at Krungsri Securities expected the day’s index to rise to between 1,255 and 1,260 after the S&P500 and Nasdaq rose by 1.6 per cent and 2.3 per cent respectively.

He said the domestic political situation was not expected to escalate, but it would pressure the index through October.

The 10 stocks with the highest trade value on Monday were STGT, PTT, KBANK, AOT, ADVANC, CPF, DIF, BBL, GULF and SCB.

As of 4.30pm, the price of oil dropped by US$0.35 or 0.87 per cent to $39.90 per barrel, while gold dropped by $10.10 or 0.54 per cent, to $1,856.20 per ounce.

Other Asian indices were mixed:

Japan’s Nikkei Index closed at 23,511.62, up 307.00 points or 1.32 per cent.

China’s Shang Hai SE Composite Index closed at 3,217.53, down 1.88 points or 0.058 per cent, while the Shenzhen SE Component Index closed at 12,760.93, down 53.24 points or 0.42 per cent.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index closed at 23,476.05, up 240.63 points or 1.04 per cent.

South Korea’s KOSPI Index closed at 2,308.08, up 29.29 points or 1.29 per cent.

Taiwan’s TAIEX Index closed at 12,462.76, up 229.85 points or 1.88 per cent.

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Prayut promises to reveal name of new finance minister next week

EconSep 28. 2020PM Prayut Chan-o-cha 

By The Nation

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Monday that he will disclose the name of the new finance minister next week, adding that the post will be taken up by a well-known person.

He also dismissed the names brought up by media as potential candidates for the job, including former transport minister Arkhom Termpittatapaisith and Finance Ministry’s permanent secretary Prasong Poontaneat.

The premier also said no other Cabinet positions will be changed other than the appointment of a new finance minister.

Predee Daochai gave up his post as finance minister on September 2, just 27 days after taking office. He cited health reasons for quitting.

The private sector is calling on the premier to choose a new finance minister as soon as possible, so the economy can be pulled out of the Covid-19 crisis.

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

SET rises in line with other indices

EconSep 28. 2020

By The Nation

The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) Index rose by 8.88 points, or 0.71 per cent, to 1,253.82 in the morning session on Monday.

An analyst at Krungsri Securities expected the index to rise to between 1,255 and 1,260 in response to the rise in other indices after falling for five consecutive days.

He said the S&P500 and Nasdaq rose by 1.6 per cent and 2.3 per cent respectively, while the domestic political situation was not expected to escalate.

“However, the political situation would pressure the index in October,” he said.

For investment strategy, he recommended that investors buy:

▪︎ Stocks that were involved in block trade, such as KTC, ICHI and TKN.

▪︎ Stocks that would benefit from a Covid-19 vaccine development, such as AOT, CENTEL, MINT and ERW.

▪︎ Stocks that benefit from the rising Baltic Dry Index, such as TTA and PSL.

The SET Index closed at 1,244.94 on Friday, down 2.52 points or 0.20 per cent. Total transactions amounted to Bt45.62 billion with an index high of 1,256.40 and a low of 1,241.66.

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Gold price up in Thailand despite slide in US market

EconSep 28. 2020

By The Nation

The price of gold rose by Bt50 per baht weight in morning trade on Monday (September 28), the Gold Traders Association reported.

As of 9.27am, the buying price of a gold bar was Bt27,800 per baht weight and selling price Bt27,900, while gold ornaments were priced at Bt27,303.16 and Bt28,400, respectively.

At close on Saturday, the buying price of a gold bar was Bt27,750 per baht weight and selling price Bt27,850 while gold ornaments were Bt27,257.68 and Bt28,350, respectively.

Spot gold price moved to US$1,861 (Bt58,973.66) per ounce on Monday morning after the price dropped by $10.6 to $1,866.3 per ounce at Friday’s close due to the strengthening dollar.

Hong Kong gold price dropped by HK$100, opening at $17,190 (Bt70,288.72) per tael on Monday morning, the Chinese Gold and Silver Exchange Society reported.

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Thai Smile eyes flights to Nan, Nakhon Phanom

EconSep 28. 2020

By The Nation

Thai Smile Airways is planning flights to Nan in the North and Nakhon Phanom in the Northeast, seeing the potential for tourism growth in these two provinces.

Chief executive officer Charita Leelayudth said that the carrier had resumed domestic flights on June 1 and had got a good response from passengers. Its cabin factor is between 60 to 70 per cent.

The carrier launched a new route from Bangkok to Nakhon Si Thammarat on September 10.

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Bad debt situation in control despite Covid-19 disruption, say bankers

EconSep 28. 2020

By The Nation

Bankers are optimistic that rising bad debts driven by Covid-19 are manageable, though the second phase of the moratorium offered by many banks will end next month.

They estimate non-performing loans (NPLs) to rise to 5 per cent by the end of this year, up from 3 per cent at the end of last year.

Siridej Aungudomsin, senior executive vice president at Bangkok Bank (BBL), said on Friday that though bad debt was on a rising trend, there would be no repeat of the situation during the 1997 Asian financial crisis when it skyrocketed to 40 per cent. NPLs were expected to stay at around 3 to 5 per cent currently, he said.

About 70 per cent of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) clients of BBL have not requested an extension of the debt moratorium after the first phase of assistance implemented in March came to an end, he said.

The impact of the Covid-19 outbreak has been severe, but Thai banks are resilient due to their strong capital base and ample liquidity, he said. 

BBL is still offering customers debt restructuring in order to help them survive the pandemic crisis, he added.

Surat Leelataviwat, executive vice present at Kasikornbank, revealed that as of June 30, all commercial banks assisted a large number of customers whose combined loans amounted to Bt4.5 trillion, representing 31 per cent of total loans of Bt14 trillion.

SMEs were the most affected group and 23 per cent of their total Bt4 trillion debt was restructured and 26 per cent were allowed a moratorium.

Of the SMEs, 100,000 are customers of Kasikornbank. The bank conducted a survey and found that 80 per cent of them do not need extra financial support. Only 400 firms closed their businesses. “It is quite surprising that the situation is not as serious as previously estimated,” he said.

Rak Vorrakitpokatorn, president of Thai Credit Guarantee Corporation, said that NPLs among SMEs were 6 to 6.5 per cent in the second quarter, up from 5.6 per cent of the total Bt6 trillion loans at the end of last year.

Some have forecast significant NPLs concealed in the debt moratorium and if there were no debt aid, the NPLs could spike to 20 to 30 per cent of total loans, he said.  He was also optimistic that bad debts would be manageable.

Niyot Masavisut, president of Sukhumvit Asset Management Co, said that about 100 clients had requested debt moratorium and 40 per cent of them could continue their businesses, while the remaining 60 per cent have requested extra assistance, he said.

He predicted NPLs to rise in the next two years, while banks and over 60 asset management companies would work together to tackle the bad debt. NPLs would rise to 5 per cent this year, up from 3 per cent last year, he added.

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Virus crisis driving boom in cleaning/disinfection business

EconSep 28. 2020

By The Nation

The cleaning and disinfection sector has boomed during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the Department of Business Development (DBD).

From January to August, 218 companies in the segment were set up with total registered capital of Bt278.52 million, said DBD deputy director-general Sorada Lertarpachit.

Highlighting the future potential for cleaning services, she said average yearly applications for construction of buildings now totalled about 60 million square metres. The service fee for cleaning and disinfection is currently about Bt15-20 per square metre.

There are currently 3,143 registered cleaning and disinfection companies in Thailand.