U.S. equities turn mixed; crude oil declines #SootinClaimon.Com

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https://www.nationthailand.com/business/30403784

U.S. equities turn mixed; crude oil declines

EconMar 17. 2021

By Syndication Washington Post, Bloomberg · Lu Wang, Vildana Hajric

U.S. stocks fluctuated near record highs while yields on benchmark Treasury notes lingered close to more than one-year highs as investors weighed the strength of the global economic recovery.

The S&P 500 was little changed amid a drop in the energy and industrials sectors. Apple Inc. and Microsoft Corp. briefly led the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 to a two-week high, while the Dow Jones industrial average fell from a record high, with Boeing Co. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. among the biggest decliners. Treasury 10-year yields fluctuated as the Federal Reserve began its two-day policy meeting.

“The actual growth numbers keep coming out ahead of almost all of what experts predict, so the market is trying to sort out what that means over the longer term,” said Stephen Dover, chief market strategist and head of the Franklin Templeton Investment Institute. “Growth had so far outperformed value that there was a rotation, but a lot of that rotation has happened, and so now they’re closer to each other and there’s a tug and pull back and forth between those areas and sectors.”

In Europe, traders shrugged off decisions by Germany, France and Italy to suspend the AstraZeneca Plc vaccine ahead of a meeting of regional health ministers to discuss the future of the covid-19 shot. The Stoxx 600 Index advanced 0.9%.

Markets saw modest gains in Japan and China, where investors were watching for a possible broader crackdown on the internet sector. Oil retreated for a third day, while the dollar was mixed versus its major peers.

With the global economy increasingly on a path out of the pandemic, focus turns to the Fed’s communications on Wednesday, which will include fresh economic and interest-rate projections. Reflation trades stand to benefit if the central bank maintains a hands-off approach to the recent rise in yields. Bets on a faster economic recovery have already helped push one market gauge of inflation to its highest level since 2008, and a renewed climb in yields could spur the rotation from growth to value stocks.

“As bond vol drops and rates are pinned by European risk near term, the pain trade that started yesterday continues,” with growth stocks outperforming, said Dennis DeBusschere, head of portfolio strategy at Evercore ISI. “Eventually bond yields will catch up to inflation expectations again.”

Looking further ahead, investors are assessing the potential for an infrastructure spending package and tax increases in the U.S.

Elsewhere, Bitcoin traded around $56,000, down from a weekend peak above $61,000.

These are the main moves in markets:

Stocks

The S&P 500 Index fell 0.2% to 3,962.71 as of 4:04 p.m. EDT, the first retreat in more than a week.

The Dow Jones industrial average decreased 0.4% to 32,825.95, the first retreat in more than a week.

The Nasdaq Composite Index gained 0.1% to 13,471.57, the highest in more than two weeks.

The Nasdaq 100 Index increased 0.5% to 13,152.28, the highest in more than two weeks.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Index increased 0.9% to 426.82, the highest in about 13 months on the largest climb in more than a week.

Currencies

The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index was little changed at 1,139.61.

The euro dipped 0.2% to $1.1905, the weakest in a week.

The British pound was little changed at $1.3897, the weakest in a week.

The Japanese yen strengthened 0.1% to 109 per dollar, the largest advance in a week.

Bonds

The yield on two-year Treasurys fell less than one basis point to 0.15%.

The yield on 10-year Treasurys climbed one basis point to 1.61%.

Britain’s 10-year yield dipped one basis point to 0.785%.

Germany’s 10-year yield declined less than one basis point to -0.34%, the lowest in two weeks.

Commodities

West Texas Intermediate crude fell 1.1% to $64.66 a barrel, the biggest fall in a week.

Gold was little changed at $1,731.90 an ounce, the highest in two weeks.

Hybrid EV sales in Thailand could hit 50,000 this year: KResearch #SootinClaimon.Com

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https://www.nationthailand.com/business/30403771

Hybrid EV sales in Thailand could hit 50,000 this year: KResearch

EconMar 16. 2021

By The Nation

Kasikorn Research Centre expects sales of hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) to rise between 63 and 70 per cent this year, as Thailand makes the transition from combustion engines.

KResearch estimates 48,000 to 50,000 HEV and PHEV units will be sold in 2021, becoming the standard model for certain types of car.

It also expects sales of 4,000-5,000 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) this year, an increase of 210 to 288 per cent.

The price of EVs and the number of charging stations will be key factors in the EV market’s rapid expansion, said the centre.

Domestic EVs will account for 55 per cent of total car sales in the next decade, and also make up more than 50 per cent of Thailand’s domestic auto production, it forecasts.

Government measures in collaboration with the private sector – including tax breaks to stimulate investment/consumption and building charging stations – will accelerate expansion of the EV market, KResearch said.

SET down slightly on subdued trading #SootinClaimon.Com

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https://www.nationthailand.com/business/30403767

SET down slightly on subdued trading

EconMar 16. 2021

By The Nation

The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) Index closed at 1,564.03 on Tuesday, down 1.70 points or 0.11 per cent. Total transactions amounted to Bt88.29 billion with an index high of 1,573.13 and a low of 1,562.35.

In the morning session, a Krungsri Securities analyst expected the day’s index to fall to 1,560 points despite hopes of US economic relief measures and the global rollout of Covid-19 vaccination.

The index would be under pressure due to uncertainty over US bond yield and volatility in funds flows, while investors would delay trading to hear the outcome of Wednesday’s US Federal Reserve meeting, said the analyst.

The 10 stocks with the highest trade value today were GUNKUL, SAWAD, PTT, STA, KBANK, HANA, COM7, IRPC, SCC and PTTEP.

Other Asian indices were on the rise:

Japan’s Nikkei Index closed at 29,921.09, up 154.12 points or 0.52 per cent.

China’s Shang Hai SE Composite Index closed at 3,446.73, up 26.79 points or 0.78 per cent, while Shenzhen SE Component Index closed at 13,642.96, up 122.89 points or 0.91 per cent.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index closed at 29,027.69, up 193.93 points or 0.67 per cent.

South Korea’s KOSPI closed at 3,067.17, up 21.46 points or 0.70 per cent.

Taiwan’s TAIEX Index closed at 16,313.16, up 63.83 points or 0.39 per cent.

Governments transformed under pressure from Covid-19 – that transformation will shape our future #SootinClaimon.Com

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https://www.nationthailand.com/business/30403762

Governments transformed under pressure from Covid-19 – that transformation will shape our future

Biz insightsMar 16. 2021

By Mike Canning, William D Eggers, Beth McGrath
Special to The Nation

The year 2020 was tumultuous, and government stood front and centre in not only confronting the biggest public health challenge in a century, but also dealing with major economic and social disruption.

New programmes were rolled out seemingly overnight, and on a massive scale. Government is usually associated with incremental change, but 2020 was a year of discontinuity. The shifts we saw in government operations reflect the dramatic changes happening in the world at large.

The Deloitte Centre for Government Insights’ “Government Trends 2021” captures nine of the most transformative trends in government today.

1. Accelerated digital government

The pandemic changed digital from “nice-to-have” to “must-have” for governments. To meet the surge in service demand while operating virtually, governments have accelerated their digital journey along three major dimensions: scaling digital infrastructure, creating a more digitally savvy workforce, and investing in citizen connectivity.

2. Seamless service delivery

Government agencies are increasingly providing personalised, frictionless, and proactive services to citizens. There are several avenues that governments are taking to achieve this vision of seamless service delivery: committing to fully digital services, designing proactive services around life events, and building infrastructure to support such seamless services. The goal: have government services approach the ease of the best online experiences.

3. Location liberation

Covid-19 caused organisations to change how they accomplished their missions. From remote work to telemedicine and online schools, the pandemic brought the future of government work into the present. This trend follows the emergence of adaptive workplaces, including approaches for managing a distributed workforce and delivering high-quality citizen services virtually.

4. Fluid data dynamics

Data is assuming an elevated level of importance within and outside government. Public agencies are developing novel approaches to maximise the value of the data they hold, including appropriately sharing that data. Across the globe, the trend toward fluid, dynamic data is changing how data is being used and shared by government and its partners in academia, nonprofits, and the private sector.

5. Government as a cognitive system

The best governments are constantly learning, evolving, and making decisions – just like people do. When government understands itself as a “cognitive system”, it can take steps to increase how quickly it learns. This entails using data in new ways to gain insights from the past and present, and to make reliable projections about the future. This augmented learning and decision-making capability can create immense public value. Governments can design programmes with an intelligence architecture in mind. The hindsight of past performance, coupled with real-time data in the present, can lead to optimal decisions for the future.

6. Agile government

The pandemic has highlighted the need for a fast, flexible, and mission-centric government, and many governments around the world have embraced the opportunity and shown they are up for the challenge. Governments had to make timely decisions – they needed to move fast. This agile imperative can be seen in many areas, including policymaking, regulation, procurement, and the workforce.

7. Government’s broader role in cyber

A cyber hack that would once damage a single organisation can now spread to threaten an organisation’s partners, clients, or even an entire industry or a sector. Governments want to tap into a growing information ecosystem, but what about the risks? Reliable cybersecurity requires breaking down internal silos, recrafting external relationships, and making sure the public workforce comprises the best cyber talent.

8. Inclusive and equality-centred government

As inclusion and equality issues come to the forefront, governments are focusing more on the underlying causes of systemic imbalances and questioning the fundamentals of how policies are developed, implemented, and assessed. Some of the global approaches being embraced include inclusive and equality-centred design, equitable access to public goods, data sovereignty and equity, and cocreation and citizen engagement.

9. Strengthening public trust in government

In many parts of the world, trust in government skyrocketed in 2020. In some countries, however, trust in government was close to an all-time low. Such trust – and increasingly social trust or social capital – is crucial to managing challenging economic and public health issues. Governments are working toward making trust a core component, tackling information manipulation, weaving in greater transparency, and building trust in government’s digital systems, services, and data initiatives.

Understanding these trends is the first step in navigating the journey ahead.

William D Eggers is the executive director of Deloitte’s Centre for Government trends.

Mike Canning, principal at Deloitte Consulting, leads Deloitte’s Government & Public Services Industry.

Beth McGrath is a managing director at Deloitte Consulting and the global leader for its Government and Public Services Industry.

Volatile funds flows, direction of US bond yield to impact SET #SootinClaimon.Com

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https://www.nationthailand.com/business/30403750

Volatile funds flows, direction of US bond yield to impact SET

EconMar 16. 2021

By The Nation

The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) Index rose by 3.63 points, or 0.23 per cent, to 1,569.36 in the morning session on Tuesday.

The SET is predicted to fall to 1,560 points despite hopes of US economic relief measures and vaccination drive in many countries, a Krungsri Securities analyst said.

The index would be under pressure due to uncertainty over US bond yield and volatility in funds flows, while investors would delay their trade to know the outcome of the US Federal Reserve’s meeting, he said.

He recommended investors buy:

▪︎ AOT, MINT, CENTEL, AAV, BA, CPN, CRC and MAJOR, which benefit from positive news of the Covid-19 vaccine in Thailand.

▪︎ HANA, KCE, TU and CPF, which benefit from the weakening baht.

▪︎ CBG, ICHI, SAPPE, RBF, DOD, IP, TACC, GUNKUL and KISS, which benefit from positive news on hemp production and its general use.

The SET Index closed at 1,565.73 on Monday, down 2.46 points or 0.16 per cent. The volume of total transactions was Bt72.81 billion with an index high of 1,575.96 and a low of 1,562.69.

Gold gains amid purchase spree in US over inflation fears #SootinClaimon.Com

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https://www.nationthailand.com/business/30403746

Gold gains amid purchase spree in US over inflation fears

EconMar 16. 2021

By The Nation

The price of gold rose by Bt50 per baht weight in morning trade on Tuesday, the Gold Traders Association reported.

As of 9.26am, the buying price of a gold bar was Bt25,100 per baht weight and selling price Bt25,200, while gold ornaments were priced at Bt24,650.16 and Bt25,700, respectively.

At close on Monday, the buying price of a gold bar was Bt25,050 per baht weight and selling price Bt25,150, while gold ornaments were Bt24,604.68 and Bt25,650, respectively.

Spot gold price moved to US$1,732 (Bt53,209) per ounce after rising by $9.4 to $1,729.2 on Monday, thanks to the decline in US Treasury yield and mass buy-ups of the precious metal over inflation risks from US economic stimulus measures.

Hong Kong gold price rose by HK$60 to $16,030 (Bt63,418) per tael, the Chinese Gold and Silver Exchange Society reported.

Stocks climb to all-time highs; crude oil declines #SootinClaimon.Com

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https://www.nationthailand.com/business/30403738

Stocks climb to all-time highs; crude oil declines

EconMar 16. 2021

By Syndication Washington Post, Bloomberg · Vildana Hajric, Claire Ballentine

U.S. stocks closed at a record high for a third consecutive trading session amid growing optimism over the budding economic recovery and progress on vaccines. Long-term Treasury yields edged lower.

The benchmark S&P 500 Index gained for a fifth straight trading session, led by the utilities and real estate sectors. The Dow Jones industrial average also closed at a record and finished up for a seventh session in a row. Apple Inc., Tesla Inc. and Facebook Inc. led the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 higher. Crude oil pared a loss of more than 2%.

“U.S. equities have become a buy high, sell higher asset class on the heels of economic reopening optimism, vaccination progress and additional government stimulus,” said Terry Sandven, chief equity strategist for U.S. Bank Wealth Management. “We’re maintaining our glass half full orientation for equities and that’s a function of favorable fundamental sentiment and technical trends.”

Yields on benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury notes declined from the more than one-year high reached last week.

Brent crude dropped overnight, erasing a gain after a raft of economic data from China added to signs of recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Concerns about tightening liquidity weighed on Chinese shares, with the CSI 300 Index closing down 2.2%.

Investors remain preoccupied with rising long-term borrowing costs and their implications for reflation trades and the rotation in the stock market from growth to value shares.

In the U.S., investors are also considering the potential impact of higher taxes and how that could affect corporate profit growth. President Joe Biden is planning the first major federal tax hike since 1993 to help pay for a long-term economic program, according to people familiar with the matter. The White House is expected to propose a suite of tax increases, mostly mirroring Biden’s 2020 campaign proposals, according to four people familiar with the discussions.

“I think the market will wait a bit longer on the Biden tax story,” said Chris Zaccarelli, chief investment officer at Independent Advisor Alliance. “People are going to want to know what is actually proposed, and more importantly, what is likely to make it through Congress.”

Elsewhere, Bitcoin pulled back after a weekend rally that sent prices above $61,000 for the first time. The largest cryptocurrency was trading at about $56,000 on Monday.

These are the main moves in markets:

Stocks

The S&P 500 Index increased 0.6% to 3,968.77 as of 4:01 p.m. EDT, hitting the highest on record with its fifth consecutive advance.

The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 0.5% to 32,952.28, reaching the highest on record with its seventh consecutive advance.

The Nasdaq Composite Index jumped 1% to 13,459.71, the highest in two weeks.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Index was unchanged at 423.08.

The MSCI All-Country World Index advanced 0.4% to 677.32, the highest in more than three weeks.

Currencies

The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index gained 0.1% to 1,139.79.

The euro dipped 0.2% to $1.1932.

The British pound decreased 0.2% to $1.3902.

The Japanese yen depreciated 0.1% to 109.10 per dollar, the weakest in more than nine months.

Bonds

The yield on 10-year Treasurys declined two basis points to 1.60%.

The yield on 30-year Treasurys decreased three basis points to 2.35%.

Britain’s 10-year yield fell two basis points to 0.798%.

Germany’s 10-year yield fell three basis points to -0.33%, the lowest in almost two weeks on the largest fall in two weeks.

Commodities

West Texas Intermediate crude declined 0.2% to $65.45 a barrel.

Gold strengthened 0.3% to $1,731.74 an ounce, the highest in almost two weeks.

SET dips amid volatile foreign fund flows #SootinClaimon.Com

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https://www.nationthailand.com/business/30403722

SET dips amid volatile foreign fund flows

EconMar 15. 2021

By The Nation

The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) Index closed at 1,565.73 on Monday, down 2.46 points or 0.16 per cent. The volume of total transactions was Bt72.81 billion with an index high of 1,575.96 and a low of 1,562.69.

In the morning session, a Krungsri Securities analyst expected the index to fluctuate between 1,560 and 1,580 despite massive stimulus measures launched in the US and elsewhere to boost economic recovery.

He said uncertainty over rising US bond yield and inflation, plus volatility in foreign funds flows, would pressure the index.

The 10 stocks with the highest trade value today were PTT, STA, KBANK, IVL, CBG, GUNKUL, PTTEP, AOT, OR and JMART.

Other Asian indices were mixed:

Japan’s Nikkei Index closed at 29,766.97, up 49.14 points or 0.17 per cent.

China’s Shang Hai SE Composite Index closed at 3,419.95, down 33.13 points or 0.96 per cent, while the Shenzhen SE Component Index closed at 13,520.07, down 376.96 points or 2.71 per cent.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index closed at 28,833.76, up 94.04 points or 0.33 per cent.

South Korea’s KOSPI closed at 3,045.71, down 8.68 points or 0.28 per cent.

Taiwan’s TAIEX Index closed at 16,249.33, down 5.85 points or 0.036 per cent.

SET expected to face pressure from volatility in foreign funds flows #SootinClaimon.Com

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https://www.nationthailand.com/business/30403705

SET expected to face pressure from volatility in foreign funds flows

EconMar 15. 2021

By The Nation

The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) Index rose by 1.95 points, or 0.12 per cent, to 1,570.14 in the morning session on Monday.

A Krungsri Securities analyst expected the index to fluctuate between 1,560 and 1,580 despite several countries’ economic stimulus measures.

He said uncertainty over rising US bond yield and inflation, plus volatility in foreign funds flows would pressure the index.

He recommended investors buy:

▪︎ AOT, MINT, CENTEL, CPN, CRC and MAJOR, which benefit from positive news of a Covid-19 vaccine in Thailand.

▪︎ HANA, KCE, TU and CPF, which benefit from the weakening baht.

▪︎ CBG, ICHI, SAPPE, RBF, DOD, PTG, TACC and GUNKUL which benefit from positive news on hemp production and its general use.

The SET Index closed at 1,568.19 on Friday, down 6.94 points or 0.44 per cent. Total transactions fell to Bt83.958 billion with an index high of 1,584.40 and a low of 1,562.90.

Gold makes more gains, retaining last week’s momentum #SootinClaimon.Com

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https://www.nationthailand.com/business/30403704

Gold makes more gains, retaining last week’s momentum

EconMar 15. 2021

By The Nation

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

As of 9.22am, the buying price of a gold bar  Bt25,050 per baht weight and selling price Bt25,150 while gold ornaments cost Bt24,604.68 and Bt25,650, respectively. 

On Saturday’s close, the buying price of a gold bar was Bt25,000 per baht weight and selling price Bt25,100 while gold ornaments cost Bt24,544.04 and Bt25,600, respectively. The price had risen by Bt450 per baht weight last week.

Spot gold price moved to US$1,728 (Bt53,115) per ounce after falling by $2.8 to $1,719.8 on Friday due to the strengthening dollar, rising US bond yield and strong US economic data.

Hong Kong gold price rose by HK$160 to $15,990 (Bt63,318) per tael, the Chinese Gold and Silver Exchange Society reported.