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Tag: floods

Indonesia: floods highlight infrastructure failings

Jan 18, 2013 12:55pm by Stefan Wagstyl
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While Jakarta struggles with floods this week, its stock market is hitting record highs.

Of course, there is no direct connection between the water washing through the streets and the financial flows in the equity market. Even the links to overall economic growth are fairly remote. But the floods are a painful reminder of the growing pains of emerging markets – pains which can make themselves felt if Indonesian citizens ever decide that the authorities aren’t doing enough to address the country’s many infrastructure gaps. Continue reading »

Tags: , , Posted in Indonesia |

Thailand: export recovery slow

Nov 26, 2012 8:11am by Stefan Wagstyl
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Thai exports last month posted their biggest increase in over a year as the country’s factories recovered from floods and global demand picked up after a sluggish summer.

Even so, the 15.6 per cent rise fell short of expectations as economists had pencilled in 20 per cent. That gives the central bank a little more reason to cut rates when it meets on Thursday, though most forecasters still expect the Bank of Thailand to leave rates unchanged at 2.75 per cent following last month’s surprise reduction. Continue reading »

Tags: , , , Posted in Asia, Thailand |

Thai floods: a repeat of 2011?

Sep 14, 2012 4:00am by Jake Maxwell Watts
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A mere eight months since flood waters receded from Thailand’s capital, there is once again fear in the Kingdom that history is being repeated.

Last year the World Bank estimated that the cost to Thailand’s economy of severe flooding was approximately 1.4tn baht ($46bn). In the last few days, much of the north of the country has been inundated and as high water advances towards Bangkok the government has issued warnings to urban residents. Continue reading »

Tags: , , Posted in Asia, Thailand |

Thailand: post-flood recovery buoys GDP

Aug 20, 2012 8:21am by Stefan Wagstyl
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Another south east Asian economy has performed well despite the global slow down. Following Indonesia and Malaysia, Thailand on Monday reported stronger-than-expected second quarter GDP, with a 3.3  per cent increase over the first three months.

As elsewhere in the region it is the domestic economy that is powering ahead, in Thailand’s case driven by recovery and reconstruction following last year’s floods: the April-June figure following record growth of 10.8 per cent q-onq in the first quarter. Continue reading »

Tags: , , Posted in Thailand |

Thai exports bounce back after floods

Mar 28, 2012 8:35am by Stefan Wagstyl
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A bit of good news for flood-hit Thailand. Exports rose unexpectedly last month for the first time since the floods struck in October. After three months of decline, exports were up, albeit only by 0.9 per cent, according to figures published on Wednesday.

But the relief may be short-lived since industrial production in February was down 3.4 per cent, the sixth month in a row, with less than half of the plants in flood-hit districts back in production. Don’t expect a return to normal production for at least another six months, is the word from Bangkok. Continue reading »

Tags: , , Posted in Thailand |

Thai GDP: over the worst

Feb 20, 2012 10:39am by Josh Noble
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What a shocker. Thailand’s GDP shrank 10.7 per cent in the fourth quarter – way more than the 5 per cent predicted by most economists. Major flooding – which caused many factories in the Bangkok area to shut down for months – was the reason.

But it isn’t all bad news. A terrible Q4 should lead to a much brighter 2012. Continue reading »

Tags: , Posted in Thailand |

Thailand: a rate cut to spur recovery

Jan 25, 2012 8:34am by Stefan Wagstyl
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The Bank of Thailand surprised nobody with its 0.25 percentage point cut on Wednesday, reducing its one-day bond repurchase rate to 3 per cent.

With the country struggling with the effects of the worst floods in more than 60 years as well as the same global challenges now faced by other Asian exporters, the central bank had little choice. That makes Thailand the fourth Asian country to ease monetary policy – in some form – in the last week, following the Philippines, Indonesia and India. Continue reading »

Tags: , Posted in Asia, Thailand |

BB: time to register

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