Thailand

• Four troubled state enterprises told to submit rehab plans by Nov – The State Enterprise Policy Commission (Superboard) agreed that four of the seven most-troubled state firms – CAT Telecom, TOT, SME Bank and Islamic Bank of Thailand – would propose new rehabilitation plans in three months. These state agencies have been instructed to do more due diligence regarding their recovery and return with proposals by November. (The Nation, 15/08/14)
• BoT still concerned high national debt might affect consumption. A BoT analyst said the NCPO has tasked the Ministry of Finance to find a solution to household debt. This could mean consumers may face tougher loan requirements. (Post Today, 15/08/14)

• MoM gain in new business registrations — The Commerce Department said the number of new business registrations in July was at 5,592, down 13% YoY, but up 8% MoM. This was a seven-month high. (Post Today, 14/08/14)
• Six road expansions/construction approved — The NCPO approved the Transport Ministry’s proposal to build or expand six roads for Bt731.6bn, to come out of the FY2014 budget. (Post Today, 14/08/14)
• Electricity consumption growth forecast cut — EGAT says 2014 electricity consumption growth will not reach 2%. It may cut FT because of lower fuel prices. (Thai Post, 14/08/14)
• Ministry of Transport to submit 7 skytrain lines proposals to NCPO for approval. The projects will be worth Bt360bn, starting late 2015 depending on NCPO approval and financing. (Thai Post, 12/08/14)
• Ministry of Commerce to look into foreign ownership level. It will set up more definite guidelines on mergers and acquisitions, and bring clarity to the law. The process will take roughly one year to complete. (Kom Chud Luek, 13/08/14)
• Stimulus for industry — The Ministry of Industrial Works and FTI will meet on the 18th of August to discuss possible economic stimulus to boost industrial productions. The meeting will also look to set up punishment guidelines for factories that break laws. (Kom Chud Luek, 13/08/14)

Globally

• US: The number of Americans who initially applied for jobless benefits jumped 21,000 to 311,000 for the week ending Aug. 9, although the job market kept improving as a whole, the U.S. Labor Department said Thursday. (Xinhua, 14/08/14)
• Eurozone GDP stable in Q2 – The eurozone’s gross domestic product (GDP) remained stable in the second quarter of 2014, according to seasonally adjusted data released by Eurostat on Thursday. In the first quarter of 2014, GDP grew by 0.2% in the euro area and by 0.3% in the EU. (Xinhua, 14/08/14)
• Eurozone annual inflation down to 0.4% in July – The euro zone’s annual inflation rate dropped to 0.4% in July, from 0.5% in June, the European Union (EU) statistics office Eurostat said on Thursday. (Xinhua, 14/08/14)
• US: The Commerce department said U.S. business inventories rose 0.4% in June, matching market consensus. (Xinhua, 14/08/14)
• U.S. retail sales flat in July – U.S. retail and food services sales were virtually unchanged in July, indicating that consumers remain cautious despite improving job market, according to the advanced data released on Wednesday. (Xinhua, 14/08/14)
• Europe: French consumer price index (CPI) lost 0.3% in July due to a drop of manufacturing costs, following stable trend over the last three months, official statistics showed on Wednesday. (Xinhua, 14/08/14)
• Japan: the Japanese government said the country’s gross domestic product in the second quarter of 2014 shrank 6.8% from a year earlier, the biggest contraction since the March 2011 disaster. (Xinhua, 14/08/14)
• Japan consumer sentiment up in July with tax hike impact easing – Japan’s consumer sentiment improved for the third straight month in July, the government said Monday, signalling that the negative impact of the April 1 consumption tax hike have been petering out. (Kyodo, 11/08/14)
• China’s inflation grows 2.3% in July – China’s consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, grew 2.3% YoY in July, the same pace as a month earlier, official data showed on Saturday. (Xinhua, 11/08/14)
• Singapore economy grows 2.4% in Q2 – The Singapore economy grew by 2.4% on a year-onyear basis in the second quarter, moderating from the 4.8% growth in the previous quarter, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) said Tuesday. (Xinhua, 12/08/14)