CARS24 Revs Into Town Used car segment, the new frontier for ecommerce #SootinClaimon.Com

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https://www.nationthailand.com/business/40008741


CARS24 is one of Asias fastest growing auto tech Unicorn, building an online brand of pre-owned cars. The company was incorporated in Singapore and proved the model in India by becoming the number one player in the used car category within 3 years of launch.

Thailand has been an automotive manufacturing hub for the South East Asian region for a while. It is also a market where the average per capita car ownership is higher than many ASEAN countries with further room to grow. Used cars sales already outpace new car sales by approximately 2:1. Experts believe this car ownership number will increase with more households choosing personal cars as a safe mode to travel in the aftermath of COVID. “We strongly believe that Thailand will be at the forefront of the changing trends in the auto industry in the region, and we hope to play our part as CARS24 in enabling it” said Abhijeet Dabas, CEO of CARS24 South East Asia

Thai consumers are amongst the most digitally savvy in the region; spending almost 4 hours a day online and moving more and more of their purchases online with Ecom set to grow +25% YoY.

CARS24 Revs Into Town Used car segment, the new frontier for ecommerceCARS24 Revs Into Town Used car segment, the new frontier for ecommerce

Thai consumers are becoming more value conscious due to the effect of the pandemic. Pre-owned cars are becoming a smart choice for customers looking for value. The pandemic has delayed purchasing; however, this pent-up demand is expected to manifest in an upsurge in transaction bulge in the coming quarters. Today there are more than 3.5 million Thais who are intending to buy a car within the next 12 months, according to AC Nielsen. “The demand for pre-owned cars in Thailand is rising. However, the current process is not so convenient for consumers, creating barriers to purchase. We hope to be able to bring forth a never-seen-before seamless experience of buying and selling pre-owned cars to consumers in Thailand, while continuously learning from them on how to improve our offering”, said Abhijeet.

CARS24 is one of Asia’s fastest growing auto tech Unicorn, building an online brand of pre-owned cars. The company was incorporated in Singapore and proved the model in India by becoming the number one player in the used car category within 3 years of launch. It is now set for expansion across Asia and Australasia; launching business in UAE and Australia this year with Thailand as a fast follow. “The journey of CARS24 started 6 years ago with the goal of transforming the used car buying and selling experience for consumers in India. However, over the last year we have transformed our ambition to becoming a leading global auto-tech platform. While we have many valuable learnings from the first 6 years in India, we treat each new market with the same curiosity and respect as we treated the first one, and try to create solutions that work for that market as opposed to adopting a one-size-fits-all approach” Said Abhijeet

With the ambition to become a true game-changer and the undisputed leader in the Thailand pre-owned car market, Abhijeet added, “Our vision is to provide a seamless and fully online experience and become the ‘default’ choice for Thais looking to buy or sell pre-owned cars. Pre-owned cars are a large and growing category, but almost all transactions currently happen offline and with many pain-points. We hope to be at the forefront of driving a change in consumer behavior to adopt online car buying and selling as the norm rather than as an exception and make it a truly ‘joyful’ experience.”

A rising star in Thailand’s startup industry, CARS24 looks all set to transform and lead the auto category into the new era of Ecom. “We believe that, with our customer centricity, innovation, and service model, CARS24 will not only close the gaps in the current pre-owned cars landscape but will also redefine what a great car buying experience should be. We believe that when it comes to buying pre-owned cars, Thais deserve better, and CARS24 only offers the best!” Abhijeet concluded.

Published : November 12, 2021

Longan-based health drink P80 Longa wins Thailand’s Premium Herbal Product award #SootinClaimon.Com

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https://www.nationthailand.com/business/40008738


The herbal drink P80 Longa, created by PM80 Ltd, won the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicines second Premium Herbal Product award on September 27, the company’s chairman Prayudh Mahagitsiri said on Friday.

He explained that 50 products from 23 firms had passed the department’s criteria and received a certificate. The products include seven traditional medicines, eight food supplements, 13 foods and beverages and 22 cosmetics and personal goods.

Longan-based health drink P80 Longa wins Thailand’s Premium Herbal Product awardLongan-based health drink P80 Longa wins Thailand’s Premium Herbal Product award

Meanwhile, Sorakrit Wannalak, PM80’s senior adviser for public communications, said P80 Longa was a health drink produced from the longan fruit. He added that the drink can now be bought at all 415 branches of Tesco Lotus nationwide.

Published : November 12, 2021

By : THE NATION

Disney slumps most in 18 months on streaming service slowdown #SootinClaimon.Com

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https://www.nationthailand.com/business/40008710


Walt Disney shares sank the most since the onset of the pandemic after the company reported a smaller-than-expected increase in streaming subscribers, raising concerns that growth is slowing after a meteoric two-year rise.

The shares sank 8.3% to $159.96 at 9:52 a.m. in New York after earlier dropping as much as 9.2%, the biggest intraday decline since March 2020. The drop brought the company’s market value below that of archrival Netflix Inc. The streaming shortfall was part of a broadly disappointing quarter across the company’s business units.

Disney+ gained 2.1 million customers in the fiscal fourth quarter, the Burbank, California-based company said Wednesday, bringing the total to 118.1 million globally. Analysts were forecasting 119.6 million, the average of estimates compiled by Bloomberg. It was the smallest quarterly gain for the service since its launch two years ago.

Disney has made the family streaming product its major focus for growth in the coming years, and management reiterated its goal of having as many as 260 million customers by 2024. The company is celebrating the second anniversary of the $8-a-month Disney+ on Nov. 12 by offering new movies and promotions across the Disney empire.

Chief Executive Officer Bob Chapek made it clear on a call with investors Wednesday that the road to that number will be bumpy. Disney+ won’t return to faster subscriber growth until the third and fourth quarters of the current fiscal year.

Growth will be driven first by an increase in the number of countries where Disney+ is offered, and then by what Chapek called a surge of spending on new TV shows and movies. Efforts to produce that programming had been slowed by the pandemic.

“We identified the need for the content way back exactly a year ago and have prepared a very strong cadence of content, which will now hit the pipeline in the second half of this year,” Chapek said.

Investors used to seeing big beats for Disney+ subscribers will have to adjust to this new level of growth, at least in the short run, said Markus Hansen, a portfolio manager at Vontobel Asset Management in New York. “We’ve gotten ahead of ourselves and we’re sort of normalizing,” he said.

Disney reported fourth-quarter earnings of 37 cents a share, excluding some items, missing analysts’ projections of 49 cents. Sales in the period ended Oct. 2 rose to $18.5 billion, trailing estimates of $18.8 billion.

Chapek said in September that investors should expect Disney+ subscribers to “increase by low single-digit millions” from the previous quarter. While analysts reduced their estimates, they still expected the service to add 4.9 million customers.

Losses in the direct-to-consumer business, which includes Disney+, widened to $630 million, the result of heavy spending on TV shows and movies. Wall Street projections were for a loss of $438.8 million.

In Disney’s traditional TV business, profit fell 11% to $1.64 billion, due to higher programming and marketing costs for the ABC broadcast network, along with lower affiliate fees from cable networks such as ESPN, which had an extra week in the year-ago period.

The company estimated the additional week boosted pretax income in the prior-year quarter by about $200 million.

Profit at the company’s theme-park business, the largest in the world, came to $640 million, compared with a year-earlier loss, largely driven by the consumer products business. That was less than the $864.4 million analysts had forecast and was the result of international losses and a profit of just $244 million in the domestic parks.

The Disney film studio posted a loss of $65 million in the period, compared with a profit a year ago, reflecting marketing costs and other expenses for major releases like “Black Widow” and “Jungle Cruise” that outstripped revenue.

Chapek said he planned to maintain flexibility with the company’s film release strategy, potentially putting movies online far sooner than in the past.

“While Covid will be in the rearview mirror, God willing, I think changing consumer behavior is something that’s going to be more permanent,” he said.

Published : November 12, 2021

By : Bloomberg

Baht opens stronger, expected to rally despite pressure from strengthening greenback #SootinClaimon.Com

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https://www.nationthailand.com/business/40008730


The baht opened at 32.85 to the US dollar on Friday, strengthening from Thursday’s closing of 32.93.

The Thai currency is likely to move between 32.75 and 32.90 to the greenback during the day, Krungthai Bank market strategist Poon Panichpibool predicted.

He added that the baht is likely to swing sideways despite pressure from a strengthening dollar. The baht is supported by gold sell-offs and foreign investors’ interest in short-term bonds.

The strategist expects foreign investors to use the baht to invest in short-term bonds once the currency reaches the resistance level of 33 baht to the dollar.

Meanwhile, other factors may help strengthen or stabilise the dollar such as a surge in Covid-19 cases during the winter in Europe and China.

Poon explained that exporters may sell the dollar when it hits 33 baht to the dollar, while importers will buy the dollar when it hits 32.60 baht.

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He also said he expects the baht to swing between 32.60 and 33 after it reaches the 32.60 level.

Published : November 12, 2021

By : THE NATION

HSRI inks genomics deal with private partners #SootinClaimon.Com

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https://www.nationthailand.com/business/40008728


The Health Systems Research Institute (HSRI), in association with Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation and the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) Policy Committee on Thursday (November 11) signed a genome sequencing service contract with Thai Omics Consortium, which consists of Genomics Innovation Ltd, AID Genomics Ltd. and Shenzhen Zaozhidao Technology Ltd.

The contract is a result of HSRI’s setting up of Thailand Genome Sequencing Centre at Burapha University in Chonburi province, which the EEC Policy Committee later assigned the area as special economic zone in 2019 to promote the Thailand Genomics Framework.

The centre aims to research the genome sequencing of 50,000 Thai national volunteers, which will serve as a foundation in treating patients suffering from five disease groups namely cancer, rare and undiagnosed diseases, infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases and pharmacogenomic diseases.
 

Deputy Public Health Minister Dr Satit Pitutecha, who joined the signing ceremony on Thursday, said that the Thailand Genome Sequencing Centre will be an important steppingstone in the improvement and development of Thailand’s public health system. “The genomic research will enable health professionals to practice precision medicine, whereas they can diagnose, treat and prevent diseases more precisely using patient’s genome information,” he said. “When applied to Thailand’s health insurance system, we estimated that it could help reduce the occurrence of diseases by up to 10 per cent.”

“Furthermore, the genomic research can be applied to improve healthcare system and promote new health-related industries and services in both public and private sectors. It will help strengthen Thailand’s economy and drive us to become a world leader in the utilization of genomic information in the future,” added Satit.

Kanit Sangsubhan, secretary-general of the Eastern Economic Corridor Office (EECO) has added that the Thailand Genome Sequencing Centre will benefit the country in three aspects: Improving public health system, promoting collaborating genomics research with world leading institutes, and increasing investment in medicine-related industries in Thailand.

“The investment in the genome sequencing centre will create more jobs in the EEC areas which will eventually generate income and improve the livelihood of local communities,” he added.
 

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Published : November 12, 2021

By : THE NATION

Gold slumps on Friday morning #SootinClaimon.Com

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https://www.nationthailand.com/business/40008727


The price of gold dropped by THB100 in morning trade on Friday.

A9.24am report from the Gold Traders Association showed the buying price of gold bar at THB28,750 per baht weight and selling price at THB28,850, while the buying and selling price of gold ornaments is THB28,227.92 and THB29,350, respectively.

At close on Thursday, the buying price of gold bar was THB28,850 per baht weight and selling price THB28,950, while gold ornaments were THB28,334.04 and THB29,450, respectively.


The spot gold price on Friday morning was moving around US$1,859 (THB60,949) per ounce after Comex gold at close on Thursday surged by $15.6 to $1,863.9 per ounce as it continues to be driven by the support in buying gold as a hedge against inflation after the US Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose to its highest level in more than 30 years.

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The price of gold in Hong Kong, meanwhile, crashed by HK$200 to $17,260 (THB72,592) per tael, the Chinese Gold and Silver Exchange Society reported.

Published : November 12, 2021

By : THE NATION

SET rises in the opening trade #SootinClaimon.Com

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https://www.nationthailand.com/business/40008726


The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) Index rose by 6.83 points or 0.42 per cent to 1,639.27 on Friday morning.

The volume of total transactions was 16.87 billion baht with an index high of 1,640.66 and a low of 1,635.63 in opening trade.

The 10 stocks with the highest trade value were KEX, SCGP, KBANK, KCE, SVI, CPALL, BAM, HANA, JMART and STARK.

The SET Index closed at 1,632.44 on Thursday, up 1.97 points or 0.12 per cent. Transactions totalled 63.50 billion baht with an index high of 1,634.44 and a low of 1,626.80.

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Published : November 12, 2021

By : THE NATION

U.K. growth data leaves December BOE rate rise in the balance #SootinClaimon.Com

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https://www.nationthailand.com/business/40008712


The U.K. economy grew less than the Bank of England forecast, and consumer spending showed signs of weakening, leaving the chances of an interest-rate increase in December in the balance.

Gross domestic product rose 1.3% in the third quarter, short of the 1.5% predicted by the central bank this month, Office for National Statistics data published Thursday show. A stronger-than-expected 0.6% gain in September alone was marred by evidence that consumers are cutting back as accelerating inflation eroded living standards.

A December rate increase had been largely priced in by markets after officials warned last week that higher borrowing costs will be needed in coming months to bring inflation back to their 2% target. Labor market data will be crucial to their decision, with policy makers looking to see how some 1 million furloughed workers fared when the government stopped subsidizing their wages on Oct. 1.

“The recovery has entered a much tougher phase,” said Martin Beck, economist at the EY Item Club, which uses the Treasury’s forecasting model. “The situation has been made harder by the escalation of supply chain disruption and the increases in inflation, which will eat into household spending power.”

The growth shortfall in the third quarter was due to the ONS revising lower data for July and August. The BOE had been expecting an expansion of 1.5%. Output was 2.1% below its level before the pandemic struck, lagging behind other Group of Seven economies.

“Beyond the strong headline figure, the composition of growth was more concerning,” said Thomas Pugh, economist at RSM U.K., a tax and consulting firm. “The economy is likely to slow in the fourth quarter as supply shortages, surging prices and the removal of fiscal support weighs on consumption.”

The pound was 0.1% weaker at $1.3387 as of 9:31 a.m. in London.

Service industries grew 0.7% due to an increase in output from the health sector as many doctors resumed face-to-face appointments. However, consumer-facing services fell 0.6% on weaker retail sales. That may fan BOE concerns that demand is waning as households brace for a sharp increase in energy bills and taxes in the spring.

“Consumer spending appears to be losing steam, which is likely to worry those who held off voting for a rate rise in November. We still expect a few dazzling labor market releases to tip the balance toward a hike this year, but a move looks far from certain,” according to Dan Hanson of Bloomberg Economics.

Two sets of official labor market are due to be published before the Monetary Policy Committee meets in December, with the first of them coming next week. The early indications are that the majority of those who were furloughed returned to work in October. If so, it suggest the labor market remains tight, which the BOE fears could lead to a wage-price spiral if left unchecked.

Manufacturing fell in the month on a drop in vehicle production, which declined the most since May because of widespread shortages in the supply chain. The fall was offset by an increase in construction output.

Separate ONS figures showed the trade deficit excluding precious metals widened to almost 40 billion pounds ($54 billion) in the third quarter. Exports fell more sharply than expected, and imports rose.

“U.K. exporters face a difficult winter ahead as supply disruption shows little sign of easing, with profits squeezed as a result,” said Ana Boata, head of economic research at trade credit insurer Euler Hermes.

Published : November 12, 2021

By : Bloomberg

Markets wrap: Stocks pare rebound with consumer prices in focus #SootinClaimon.Com

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https://www.nationthailand.com/business/40008709


U.S. equities pared back a rebound Thursday after a selloff in the previous session due to fears high inflation could spur tighter monetary policy.

The S&P 500 gained less than 0.1% – led by gains in materials and technology – after falling 0.8% Wednesday in its worst slump in more than a month. Tesla Inc. fluctuated after filings showed Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk unloaded $5 billion of stock. Meanwhile, Walt Disney Co. slid and Beyond Meat Inc. plunged after disappointing quarterly figures.

The U.S. cash Treasury market was closed for a holiday.

Investors are bracing for changes in monetary policy sooner rather than later after higher-than-expected consumer prices dealt a blow to arguments inflation is transitory. Persistently high inflation could force the Federal Reserve to taper at a more substantial rate or hike interest rates faster than anticipated. At the same time, equities are hovering near all-time highs as strong earnings and economic growth prospects have propelled the stock market higher.

Clearbridge Investments’ Jeff Schulze said the recent slide in equities “was a combination of profit-taking after a nice run from the October lows but then also some concerns about margin and overall earnings in 2022.”

The firm’s investment strategist, in an interview by phone, said “although inflation hasn’t made a dent in third-quarter earnings, if we stay at these uncomfortable levels of inflation for three or four more quarters, this is definitely something that could impact margins and create demand destruction in the economy, both of which are headwinds to earnings.”

Instinet LLC’s Frank Cappelleri added Wednesday’s decline was also “right on cue” from a seasonality perspective.

“Over the last two decades, November’s weakest part has occurred in the middle of the month,” Cappelleri wrote in a note. “The damage so far is slight, and this could very well be the start of the next bullish pattern, regardless if yesterday’s dip encourages immediate dip buying or not.”

Oil struggled for direction as investors weighed the odds that the White House will intervene to cool prices. Gold approached a five-month high and Bitcoin hovered near $65,000. In Europe, stocks gained while in Asia, Chinese equities rallied on speculation the government will ease the struggle with property developers. The dollar was stronger against major peers.

– – –

– S&P 500 were little changed as of 4 p.m. New York time

– Dow Jones industrial average fell 0.4%

– Nasdaq 100 gained 0.3%

– The MSCI World index was little changed

– – –

– The Bloomberg Dollar Spot index rose 0.3%

– The euro fell 0.3% to $1.1447

– The British pound fell 0.3% to $1.3361

– The Japanese yen fell 0.1% to 114.08 per dollar

– – –

– Germany’s 10-year yield advanced two basis points to -0.23%

– Britain’s 10-year yield was little changed at 0.92%

– – –

– West Texas Intermediate crude fell 0.3% to $81.10 a barrel

– Gold futures rose 0.9% to $1,865.30 an ounce

Published : November 12, 2021

By : Bloomberg

Oil swings as Biden faces mounting pressure to rein in prices #SootinClaimon.Com

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https://www.nationthailand.com/business/40008706


Oil fluctuated in a choppy trading session as investors weighed the odds that the White House will intervene to cool rising energy prices and assessed declines in stockpile levels at the biggest crude storage hub in the U.S.

Futures in New York swung between gains and losses on Thursday, ultimately dipping lower midday. Biden is facing growing pressure, including from his own party, to address rising prices as gains in consumer costs hit the fastest pace in decades. His options include tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve or even banning oil exports.

“Where we are at this point is prices have risen because demand is rising and so you need a more permanent supply response,” said Rob Haworth, senior investment strategist at U.S. Bank Wealth Management.

Meanwhile, inventories at Cushing, Oklahoma, the delivery point for benchmark U.S. crude futures, fell by about 36,000 barrels Nov. 5-9, according to traders citing data from Wood Mackenzie on Thursday.

This past year oil prices have soared as an economic recovery from the pandemic boosts demand. Rising prices prompted President Joe Biden to weigh the merits of an emergency crude release. As much as 60 million barrels could be released from the SPR, in part by bringing forward mandated sales from 2022, according to Citigroup Inc. That would be enough to wipe out the supply deficit that the Energy Information Administration has forecast for the rest of this year.

West Texas Intermediate for December delivery fell 62 cents to $80.70 a barrel at 12:22 p.m. in New York. Brent for January settlement dropped 39 cents to $82.06 a barrel.

With the market keenly watching for potential U.S. steps, trading has been highly volatile. One closely monitored market gauge — the spread between the nearest two December contracts — has swung by more than a dollar in four of the past six trading sessions, when it would generally move a few cents.

Meanwhile, production at Equinor’s Johan Sverdrup oil field was halted completely due to a power supply issue onshore, Equinor spokesman Ola Morten Aanestad said in a message. He wasn’t able to give an estimate of how long it will take to get back online.

Published : November 12, 2021

By : Bloomberg