The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) Index closed at 1,645.32 on Thursday, up 21.66 points or 1.33 per cent. Transactions totalled 89.09 billion baht with an index high of 1,645.44 and a low of 1,624.31.
The index rose after falling by 6.98 points or 0.43 per cent on Wednesday.
The 10 stocks with the highest trade value today were EA, KBANK, SCB, GULF, GPSC, AOT, GUNKUL, CPALL, JAS and KTB.
Other Asian indices were on the rise:
Japan’s Nikkei Index closed at 29,066.32, up 606.60 points or 2.13 per cent.
China’s Shanghai SE Composite closed at 3,675.02, up 27.39 points or 0.75 per cent, while the Shenzhen SE Component closed at 15,112.81, up 86.60 points or 0.58 per cent.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index closed at 23,475.50, up 54.74 points or 0.23 per cent.
South Korea’s KOSPI Index closed at 3,006.41, up 17.02 points or 0.57 per cent.
Taiwan’s TAIEX Index closed at 17,785.74, up 125.64 points or 0.71 per cent.
The price of gold rose by THB150 in morning trade on Thursday.
AGold Traders Association report at 9.25am said the buying price of a gold bar was THB28,100 per baht weight and selling price THB28,200, while the buying and selling price of gold ornaments is THB27,591.20 and THB28,700, respectively.
At close on Wednesday, the buying price of a gold bar was THB27,950per baht weight and selling price THB28,050, while gold ornaments were THB27,439.60 and THB28,550, respectively.
Comex gold at close on Wednesday dropped by US$7.8 or 0.44 per cent to $1,764.5 per ounce which is the lowest closing level since December 2.
The baht opened at 33.40 to the US dollar on Thursday, strengthening from Wednesday’s closing rate of 33.415.
The Thai currency is likely to move between 33.35 and 33.45 to the greenback during the day, Krungthai Bank market strategist Poon Panichpibool predicted.
Poon said that the baht is likely to strengthen after investors knew the result of the US Federal Reserve meeting. The baht might strengthen because the dollar slightly weakened which will cause the gold price to go up.
Moreover, Poon said that he saw a sign that foreign investors are coming back to invest in the baht as they bought the short term bonds for 2.5 billion baht. They will not invest much more until they saw how mergers and acquisitions transactions at the end of this year go.
He added that the baht resistance level would be at 33.30 to the dollar while the support level would be at 33.50 which was the weakest level before the Fed meeting.
Sa Kaeo provincial authorities have been instructed to increase security measures along the border with Cambodia after the neighboring country reported first case of Omicron variant of Covid-19 earlier this week, said governor Parinya Phothisat on Thursday.
Khmer Times reported on Wednesday that Cambodia has detected its first case of Omicron variant on a 23-year-old local woman who returned from work in Ghana.
“The Sa Kaeo – Cambodia border is currently not open for the public yet. People from Cambodia wishing to enter Thailand via border checkpoints will need to undergo a 14-day quarantine with no exception,” he said. “After that, they must pass the RT-PCR test, which will take another 2-3 days to complete but provide a more accurate result than testing via antigen test kits (ATK).”
Parinya added that he has instructed police officers and border patrol soldiers in the province to establish checkpoints on every route that Cambodian migrants could use to slip into Thailand, especially the routes that lead to inner provinces.
Meanwhile, Chief of Defence Forces General Chalermpol Srisawat said on Friday that he has appointed his deputy to visit Sa Kaeo on Sunday (December 19) to monitor the border security to prevent against the smuggling of illegal migrant workers across the border at Khok Soong district, where several cases of illegal entry have been reported in the past months.
Ministry of Public Health reported on Friday (December 17) morning that in the past 24 hours there are 3,537 new patients who tested positive for Covid-19, 182 of whom have been found in prisons.
Death toll increased by 41, while 5,459 patients were cured and allowed to leave hospitals.
Cumulative cases in the country are at 2,185,497 with 21,327 total deaths.
The Thailand Meteorological Department said on Friday (December 17) that the high-pressure system over upper Thailand is weakening. Cool to cold weather is likely over upper Thailand, with a rise in temperature by 1-2 °C and morning fog. Mountaintops in the North and the Northeast are still cold to very cold with temperature ranging from 6 to 14 °C. People should take care of their health due to variable weather.
Meanwhile, the active low-pressure cell over Malaysia causes isolated heavy rains in the lower South of Thailand. People should beware of the severe condition that may cause overflows and flash floods. Waves in the Gulf are about 2-3 meters high and over 3 meters high during thundershowers. People along the Gulf shore should beware of inshore surges. All ships should proceed with caution and keep off thundershowers. Small boats should keep ashore until December 18.
The weather forecast for the next 24 hours is as follows:
North: Cool to cold weather with morning fog; temperature lows of 15-18 degrees and highs of 29-34 degrees Celsius. Temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 3-12 degrees Celsius.
Northeast: Cool to cold weather with morning fog; temperature lows of 14-21 degrees and highs of 32-33 degrees Celsius. Temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 8-14 degrees Celsius.
Central: Cool weather with light fog in the morning; temperature lows of 20-21 degrees, highs of 32-34 degrees Celsius.
East: Cool weather with light fog in the morning; temperature lows of 21-24 degrees, highs of 32-35 degrees Celsius; waves a meter high and 1-2 meters offshore.
South (east coast): Cool weather in the morning with thundershowers in 40 per cent of the areas and isolated heavy rains; temperature lows of 21-26 degrees, highs of 27-33 degrees Celsius; waves 2-3 meters high and more than 3 meters during thundershowers.
South (west coast): Partly cloudy with thundershowers in 20 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 22-25 degrees, highs of 30-34 degrees Celsius; waves a meter high and 1-2 meters offshore.
Bangkok and surrounding areas: Partly cloudy with light fog in the morning; temperature lows of 23-24 degrees, highs of 33-35 degrees Celsius.
More than 80,000 police officers will maintain peace and manage traffic as people return to their hometowns for New Year, Royal Thai Police deputy commissioner Damrongsak Kittipraphat said on Thursday.
This year, more than 7 million vehicles are expected to head out of and into Bangkok during the December 29-January 4 period. People will start travelling from December 29 and will mostly return on January 3.
Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha is concerned about people in Bangkok and its vicinity who face the problem of PM 2.5 dust that has exceeded the health standard in some areas, government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said on Thursday.
Following the premier’s concern, the Public Health Ministry is preparing to open an online pollution clinic and prepare dust-free rooms in public health service facilities for high-risk groups such as children and the elderly.
It is expected that the PM 2.5 dust problem in Bangkok and its vicinity will head above the standard during the period of December 15-18, but there is a chance the situation will improve during the December 19-21 period.
However, on December 22 and 23 there may be a chance that dust levels will rise further.
With cool-to-cold weather upon us and changing air pressure as well as more people travelling, the dust problem is returning, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Thursday after a meeting with the Committee on Occupational Disease Control and Environmental Diseases.
As the PM 2.5 dust problem may last for at least 2-3 months, the ministry may urge various sectors to consider allowing their staff to work from home as well as ask them to maintain their vehicle engines to cut down on air pollution.
Department of Disease Control director-general Dr Opas Karnkawinpong said the meeting agreed on the need to monitor five diseases related to the dust problem, namely respiratory disease, heart disease, eye disease, skin disease and other diseases.
Each provincial environmental committee will consider a rating and environmental measures. If the dust level is higher than the health standard, each province may be ranked in colour groups of red, yellow, etc to show the density of dust.
The North may have more problems than other regions, but the situation is expected improve in April. Meanwhile, the northeastern region will be less affected, followed by Bangkok.
SootinClaimon.Com 