The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) Index is expected to hit 1,600 points at the beginning of next year thanks to foreign fund inflows, experts said.
Wijit Arayapisit, a research department strategist at Maybank Kim Eng Securities, expects the index to hit 1,600 points from signs of economic recovery, positive news of Covid-19 vaccine, improved liquidity, foreign fund inflow and analysts’ forecast adjustment.
“We expect the economy to recover next year from the lowest point this year, though we do not expect to see a mass sell-off of shares, which was seen in previous years,” he said.
Therdsak Thaveeteeratham, executive vice president for research at Asia Plus Securities, also expects more foreign funds to flow into Thai stock market next year as more foreign investors are paying attention to risk assets.
He expects SET to hit 1,550 points next year from signs of economic recovery as the country’s third-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) showed better than expected results.
“SET skyrocketed in the last two months. Thanks to hopes over Covid-19 vaccine and non-violent political situation which encouraged investors to invest in stock markets, especially in the Asian region,” he said.
Padermpob Songkroh, managing director at Yuanta Securities expected SET in the next six months to rise as the country’s economy is expected to bottom out which can be seen in the improvement of third-quarter GDP.
“Therefore, we expect the country’s GDP in the fourth-quarter this year to rise further,” he said.
Kavee Chukitkasem, deputy managing director at Kasikorn Securities, said he expects SET to hit 1,562 points next year from foreign fund inflow amid the economic recovery.
However, he advised long-term investors not to buy Thai shares because they are overpriced and not very attractive for foreign investors.
“SET may hit 1,600 points as the country’s GDP is expected to rise until the second quarter next year, but the GDP figures will return to normal in the remainder of next year,” he said.
Risks to financial stability in certain areas could rise despite improving economic conditions, and one such area will be the deterioration in households and businesses’ ability to service their debts, the central bank said.
Earlier this month, the Bank of Thailand (BOT) met the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) and the Financial Institutions Policy Committee (FIPC) to assess risks to Thailand’s financial stability.
The committees said the country is financially sound overall, as commercial banks and insurance companies have substantial capital buffers, while financial markets continued to function properly.
Yet despite the better-than-expected economic outturns, the Thailand’s economic recovery will likely be gradual and uncertain. Risk factors ahead could include the possibility of a second Covid-19 outbreak, the scale of re-opening the country to foreign tourists in 2021 and the continuity of the government’s economic stimulus measures.
Under this environment, risks to financial stability in certain pockets could rise. One key area would be the deterioration in debt serviceability of households and businesses, especially SMEs, which could spill over to other sectors. These risks need to be managed with targeted and timely measures, so the economic momentum is not affected. The committees conducted a comprehensive assessment of financial stability risks and highlighted two priority areas:
• Supporting businesses and households in a targeted and timely manner to contain financial stability risks. Businesses have started re-opening, but are showing different paces of recovery. As a result, support measures – including structural, demand-sided, and financial policies – should be tailored to address the problems and the viability of each business segment as follows:
o For viable firms facing temporary liquidity shortage, liquidity support via new loans and proactive debt restructuring would be appropriate.
o For already-burdened-by-high-debt firms facing liquidity shortage, funding support for business restructuring, through credit or debt-to-equity swap mechanism, and proactive debt restructuring should be prioritised. In this light, the Office of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was in consultation with government and private agencies to evaluate the possibility of establishing funds to help firms affected by the outbreak.
o For firms facing competitiveness issues for some time, attention should be given to structural measures aiming to reduce excess capacity and support adaptation of business models to meet changing consumer demand.
With regard to households, measures aiming to reduce debt-servicing burden, notably debt payment holidays and instalment reductions, have reached a large number of retail borrowers so far. However, some borrowers still need additional help through debt restructuring.
The BOT has urged financial institutions to help borrowers in a manner tailored to borrowers’ problems and needs by letting them “opt-in” for support programmes, instead of applying broad measures. In addition, debt restructuring for retail borrowers was pushed to be more comprehensive and suitable to borrowers’ debt serviceability in the long term. Alongside these debt measures, measures to support income and reduce expenses should also be implemented. These include government’s measures on employment support and expenditure reduction for low-income households, as well as measures by the Office of Insurance Commission (OIC) to help policyholders by reducing premiums and extending premium payments.
• Safeguarding stability of the financial sector and containing spillover from financial markets. Measures undertaken to stabilise domestic financial markets, namely the Corporate Bond Stabilisation Fund (BSF) and the Mutual Fund Liquidity Facility (MFLF), had been instrumental in restoring investor confidence and market functioning. However, the credit spreads of corporate bonds rated BBB or below and unrated bonds, which had picked up sharply in the first half of 2020, were yet to recede to normal levels, reflecting investors’ concerns on these segments. Also, there continued to be rollover risks in high-yield bonds (non-investment grade and unrated), which were issued mainly by real estate developers. Although these risks are still present, assessments indicate that they will not lead to systemic risks. While overall the situation has improved, the economic outlook remains highly uncertain and capital markets would likely remain volatile, so both the BSF and the MFLF still need to be maintained to prepare for future shocks that could affect investor sentiment.
Moreover, there remains a need to prepare additional measures for risks from market segments not covered by the BSF, such as supporting the establishment of high-yield bond funds, which could provide additional liquidity and help stabilise the corporate bond market. With regard to the savings cooperatives system, the search-for-yield behaviour continues to be present, as reflected by the growing proportion of excess liquidity invested in equity and corporate debt securities. Thus, there continues to be a need to strengthen and effectively implement related regulations, such as investment limits on financial securities.
Furthermore, financial regulators have implemented several measures to ensure the financial sector possess adequate buffers to withstand potential risks and support economic recovery going forward. For example:
o The BOT set the limit on banks’ dividend payments, prohibited the buyback of stocks and debentures that could be counted as regulatory capital before maturity, and relaxed the eligibility criteria for regulatory capital to be on par with the international standard. The objective was to ensure that financial institutions have enough capital cushion to withstand unanticipated events and play a key role in supporting economic recovery.
o The SEC was in the process of revising regulations to provide asset management companies with more liquidity management tools, as approved by the Capital Market Supervisory Board.
o The OIC was in the process of issuing guidelines on subordinated debt issuances by life and non-life insurance companies to be counted toward regulatory capital, aiming to strengthen capital and liquidity positions of insurance companies. Also, the OIC issued the guidelines for insurance companies on IT security and cyber risks, which emerged as new risks for the insurance industry.
Given economic and financial uncertainties going forward, the BOT, the SEC, and the OIC will continue to collaborate closely in assessing risks as well as the adequacy and effectiveness of measures undertaken. The regulators will also stand ready to impose additional measures to contain financial stability risks and support economic recovery. Further cooperation with government agencies would be essential going forward, while financial regulations should be coordinated and reviewed to ensure that they continue to be appropriate in the changing economic and financial context.
The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) Index fell by 6.10 points, or 0.41 per cent, to 1,470.03 in the morning session on Tuesday.
An analyst at Krungsri Securities expected the day’s index to fall to between 1,465 and 1,470 due to lack of factors to stimulate investment.
“Besides, the SET would be under pressure from the slowdown in foreign funds flows, uncertainty over the Bank of Thailand’s measures to curb the baht’s appreciation and the index’s tight valuation,” he said
He recommended that investors buy:
▪︎ PTTEP, PTTGC, TOP, IVL and SPRC that benefit from rising oil price.
▪︎ MINT, CENTEL and AOT that benefit from positive news of Covid-19 vaccine.
▪︎ BAM, DELTA and COM7, which are expected to be listed in the SET50 Index.
▪︎ JMART, which is expected to be listed in the SET100 Index.
The SET Index closed at 1,476.13 on Monday, down 6.54 points or 0.44 per cent. Total transactions amounted to Bt107.3 billion with an index high of 1,495.18 and a low of 1,471.56.
The price of gold rose by Bt50 per baht weight in morning trade on Tuesday after falling sharply by Bt200 per baht weight at close on Monday, the Gold Traders Association reported.
As of 9.24am, the buying price of a gold bar was Bt26,000 per baht weight and selling price Bt26,100, while gold ornaments were priced at Bt25,529.44 and Bt26,600, respectively.
At close on Monday, the buying price of a gold bar was Bt25,950 per baht weight and selling price Bt26,050, while gold ornaments were Bt25,483.96 and Bt26,550, respectively.
Spot gold price moved to US$1,831 (Bt55,073) per ounce in the morning, while the Comex (Commodity Exchange) gold price to be delivered in February next year dropped by $11.5 to $1,832.1 per ounce on Monday due to mass sell-offs of safe-haven assets amid positive news of a Covid-19 vaccine. Besides, the market is keeping an eye on US Federal Reserve’s monetary policy meeting on Tuesday.
The Hong Kong gold price meanwhile dropped by HK$120 to $16,890 (Bt65,527) per tael, the Chinese Gold and Silver Exchange Society reported.
The baht opened at 30.09 to the US dollar on Tuesday, weakening from the previous close of 30.06.
The Thai currency is likely to move between 29.95 and 30.15, said Jitipol Puksamatanan, senior director of the chief investment office at SCB Securities.
On Monday night, the S&P 500 Index fell by 0.4 per cent due to mass sell-offs of cyclical shares, but the Stoxx 600 Index rose by 0.4 per cent on hopes of a fresh European Union economic stimulus package.
Meanwhile, West Texas Intermediate oil price rose by 0.9 per cent from the Opec+ move to cut production capacity, while gold price dropped by 0.6 per cent to US$1,828 per ounce due to investors’ mass sell-offs to take profit.
In the financial market, the US Ten-year treasury yield dropped to 0.89 per cent due to lack of positive sentiments and the weakening dollar. The dollar fell to the weakest in two years due to uncertainty over the US states’ lockdown to contain the spread of Covid-19, while the pound sterling rose to its strongest from hopes of the United Kingdom and the European Union reaching a Brexit agreement by the end of this year.
Meanwhile, the baht is expected to move in a narrow range until the end of this year because Asian currencies have begun to hit a new high, while the capital market has become less attractive after the stock market hit their highest levels amid the economic recovery.
Biden speaks on power of democracy in counter to Trump’s attempts to overturn results
InternationalDec 15. 2020President-elect Joe Biden speaks after winning the electoral college vote Monday, Dec. 14, 2020. MUST CREDIT: Washington Post photo by Joshua Lott
By The Washington Post · Matt Viser
WASHINGTON – President-elect Joe Biden reaffirmed his faith in American democracy and the integrity of its elections in an address Monday after the electoral college formalized his victory over President Donald Trump despite the incumbent’s false claims that the election results are somehow in doubt.
In some of his most sweeping comments since he was projected as the winner 37 days earlier, Biden attempted to unify a polarized and skittish country with direct appeals to the more than 74 million Americans who voted for Trump.
“In this battle for the soul of America, democracy prevailed,” Biden said. “We the people voted. Faith in our institutions held. The integrity of our elections remains intact. And now it is time to turn the page, as we’ve done throughout our history. To unite. To heal.”
The speech represented Biden’s most forceful defense of the election – and his own legitimacy as president – as well as his most complete denunciation of Trump’s fraudulent claims. Biden noted that he received 7 million more popular votes, and the same number of electoral votes, 306, as Trump did in 2016 when he claimed “a landslide.”
Biden ridiculed Trump – and the scores of Republican elected officials who supported him – for still claiming victory despite losing repeated legal challenges, and he praised judges and election workers, both Democrats and Republicans, who withstood Trump’s criticism and defended the integrity of the election.
“They knew this election was overseen, overseen by them – it was honest, it was free, and it was fair,” Biden said. “They saw it with their own eyes, and they wouldn’t be bullied into saying anything different. It was truly remarkable.”
“It is my sincere hope we never again see anyone subjected to the kind of threats and abuse we saw in this election,” he added. “It’s simply unconscionable. We owe these public servants a debt of gratitude . . . our democracy survived because of them.”
It was, in essence, Biden’s second acceptance speech – the first came after numerous news organizations projected him the winner on Nov. 7 – with Monday’s speech placing more emphasis on the bedrock principles of democracy as a way to counter all that has transpired in recent weeks as Trump has attempted to usurp the will of the people.
From its inception, Biden’s presidential candidacy was meant as a rebuke to Trump and his attempts to bend to his will American norms and institutions, from the country’s legal system to its intelligence agencies to the decorum exhibited in political debate. Biden’s speech on Monday night was designed to once again counter Trump’s assault – and to solidify his assertions that the country’s founding democratic principles would remain intact.
“If anyone didn’t know it before, we know it now,” Biden said. “What beats deep in the hearts of the American people is this: democracy. The right to be heard. To have your vote counted. To choose the leaders of this nation. To govern ourselves.”
Biden’s remarks followed an exceptionally volatile five-week period in which Trump has repeatedly claimed that he, not Biden, won the election. Trump has filed lawsuits in state and federal courts, called for protests in the streets by his backers and demanded, with significant success, that Republicans join him or face electoral consequences. He has castigated many of Biden’s 81 million votes as fraudulent and initially refused to allow Biden’s transition team to continue working with his administration to begin the transfer of power, eventually relenting more than two weeks after Biden was projected as the winner.
Just minutes after Biden on Monday evening crossed the threshold of 270 electoral votes needed to formally win the presidency, Trump changed the subject, announcing in a tweet that Attorney General William Barr will resign in coming days. Trump has frequently clashed with Barr, most recently over Barr’s statement that there is no evidence of the widespread voter fraud that the president continues to allege occurred.
Biden’s aides viewed the speech as another major marker in their attempts to not only publicly rebut Trump’s false claims but to counter any notion that Biden is an illegitimate president. They have accelerated the timetables for announcing prominent Cabinet positions as one way to forecast that he is moving ahead to build his administration. His aides have built a transition headquarters of sorts in downtown Wilmington, Del. – with a blue backdrop, presidential seals, American flags, and “office of the president elect” written all around – as a way to evoke an image of formality and the traditional trappings of presidential power.
Trump, who had no public events on his schedule Monday, tweeted a series of grievances throughout the day, claiming voter fraud despite his legal team’s repeated inability to prove such claims in court.
Biden, in remarks that appeared clearly aimed at Trump, implicitly rejected those attempts to challenge the results of the election.
“In America, politicians don’t take power – people grant it to them,” Biden said. “The flame of democracy was lit in this nation a long time ago. And we now know that nothing – not even a pandemic or an abuse of power – can extinguish that flame.”
Even as Trump has refused to concede and pledged to continue fighting the results despite few, if any, avenues left to him, Biden also called on the country to move on. He and his advisers have been planning an inauguration, even though they do not expect Trump to attend.
Biden has spent the past several weeks forming his Cabinet, in a dicey dance that is aimed at both appeasing a vocal liberal faction in his party as well as beginning to reach out to moderates and Republicans he will need to confirm his nominees and approve his legislative proposals.
His attempts to fill key roles in the administration have been the primary focus for his transition, which has gotten off to a brisker pace than those of many of his recent predecessors, according to the nonpartisan Center for Presidential Transition. Biden is expected to name additional senior nominees this week, perhaps including his pick for attorney general, the highest-profile role left.
Pressure has built around the importance of that role, particularly after Biden’s son Hunter disclosed last week that he was under federal investigation for tax issues, which could include whether he did not report income from Chinese-related business deals. Biden has accused Trump of using the Justice Department to carry out his own bidding, making his decision on its leader an important one even as he has pledged not to tell the department whom to investigate or not.
Restoring faith in the department became even more challenging on Monday night when Trump announced that Barr would resign by Dec. 23.
Since unofficially claiming his victory more than a month ago, Biden has been most focused on the economy and the coronavirus, the two crises that will immediately confront him. He has talked recently about receiving the vaccine in public, as a way to encourage other Americans to do the same, and he has repeatedly acknowledged the pain felt by the families of the more than 300,000 Americans who have died, as well as the challenges faced by first responders.
“There is urgent work in front of all of us,” Biden said. “Getting this pandemic under control to getting the nation vaccinated against this virus. Delivering immediate economic help so badly needed by so many Americans who are hurting today – and then building our economy back better than it ever was.”
Biden has privately spoken with Senate Republicans but has so far been reluctant to engage with them given that many have not been willing to publicly state that Biden won the election.
“I think he’s president-elect subject to whatever additional litigation is ongoing,” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, one of the top Senate Republicans, told reporters on Monday.
“I believe that we’ll see the page turned on Jan the 20th,” he added in a reference to Inauguration Day. “We’ll have a peaceful transition.”
Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., a staunch Trump defender who previously refused to acknowledge Biden’s win, shifted on Monday.
“Today, the Electoral College has cast their votes and selected Joe Biden as the President-elect,” he said in a statement. “I, like many Hoosiers, am disappointed by the results of the Electoral College vote, but today marks a watershed moment where we must put aside politics and respect the constitutional process that determines the winner of our Presidential election.”
Biden’s long-held belief that Republicans would alter their behavior once Trump is out of office will soon face a test as he puts forth his nominees for hearings and votes and prepares an opening batch of legislation he will ask them to consider.
The meeting of the electoral college has been, in recent history, a formality often unnoticed by the public, rather than an event carried live on cable television and prompting a major address by a president-elect. It was Trump’s defiance that prompted Biden to give another victory speech.
Just as he did in his speech more than five weeks ago, the incoming president made a promise to Trump’s tens of millions of supporters, many of whom currently view Biden as an illegitimate president-elect.
“I will work just as hard for those of you who didn’t vote for me,” he said, “as I will for those who did.”
The Moroccan Foreign Ministry has revealed details of the historic December 10 phone call between US President Donald Trump and Morocco’s King Mohammed VI to announce US recognition of the kingdom’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara.
The US had decided to open a consulate in the Western Sahara city of Dakhla, to encourage US investments and contribution to economic and social development in Morocco’s southern provinces, said the ministry.
During their discussion, the monarch and President Trump exchanged views on the current situation in the Middle East.
The king referred to the “consistent and balanced” positions of Morocco on the Palestinian question, stressing that Morocco supports a solution of two states living side-by-side in peace and security and that negotiations between the Palestinian and Israeli sides remain the only way to achieve a final, lasting and comprehensive settlement of this conflict, said the ministry.
In his capacity as chairman of the Al-Quds Committee of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Mohammed VI also underlined the need to preserve the special status of Al-Quds (Jerusalem). The monarch also insisted that the followers of the three monotheistic religions be allowed freedom to practice their rites, and that the Islamic character of Al-Quds Asharif and Al-Aqsa Mosque be respected, in accordance with the Al-Quds/Jerusalem Call signed by himself and Pope Francis, during his visit to Rabat on March 30, 2019.
The ministry added that the king had informed President Trump that Morocco plans to grant authorisation for direct flights to transport members of the Moroccan Jewish community and Israeli tourists to and from Morocco.
The kingdom would also resume official contacts with Israeli counterparts and diplomatic relations as soon as possible, as well as promoting innovative relations in the economic and technological fields, including working to reopen liaison offices in both countries, as was the case previously and for several years until 2002.
The monarch stressed that these measures would not affect Morocco’s permanent and sustained commitment to the Palestinian cause and its determination to continue to contribute effectively and constructively to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.
The king also discussed efforts by the Gulf Cooperation Council to resolve the crisis, expressing to President Trump his hope that positive developments recorded so far would lead to reconciliation. This would consolidate security and stability in the Gulf region leading to economic and social development for the benefit of the peoples of the region.
He also expressed his gratitude for the “important role and decisive steps” taken by the US, reiterating his support for the Kuwaiti mediation to end this dispute.
Telecoms firms backed by the industry regulator are setting up a team to deal with cyberthreats.
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC)’s research and development fund has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Telecommunications Association of Thailand and nine telecom operators to launch the Thailand Telecommunications Computer Emergency Response Team (TCC-CERT).
The team will coordinate with the signatories to handle cyberthreats, conduct research and development and promote expertise on internet crime and threats.
The NBTC fund last year granted about Bt18 million to support the project for three years, beginning on September 22 this year. The move is also in line with the Cyber Security Act of 2562, which aims to reinforce security in the telecom sector.
Immigration authorities have deported one of the two foreign divers who disturbed marine animals off Koh Pha-ngan in Surat Thani province in August. The other has appealed to stay on in Thailand.
Hungarian national Attila Ott and his Dutch-Italian diving buddy Francesco Simonetti were charged on September 1 and fined Bt10,000 each after posting pictures and video of themselves poking and tickling sea creatures in a protected area of the ocean.
Ott, a diving instructor and owner of the island’s Pink Panther Scuba Dive Club, was deported after having his visa revoked, said Sophon Thongdee, director-general of marine and coastal resources.
Meanwhile Simonetti, who worked at Koh Pha-ngan‘s Barracuda restaurant, has posted Bt50,000 bail and is awaiting the result of his appeal to stay, lodged with the Immigration Bureau.
Surat Thani governor Witchawut Jinto has urged authorities to close the case quickly since it concerns the sensitive issue of environmental preservation in the province.
He said tourists who visit Surat Thani in the future will receive information warning them not to disturb the environment.
Thai Airways International (THAI) is ready to help public health and medical organisations transport Covid-19 vaccines both in and out of the country, acting president Chansin Treenuchagron said.
The airline still operates cargo flights to destinations in Asia, Europe and Australia.
He added that THAI is well prepared for the delivery of vaccines, thanks to its expert staff, vast flying network and the latest in delivery equipment.
President-elect Joe Biden speaks after winning the electoral college vote Monday, Dec. 14, 2020. MUST CREDIT: Washington Post photo by Joshua Lott 
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