1. Thai banks’ loans may rise 6-8 pct this year -c. bank. Thai commercial banks’ loans may increase 6-8 percent this year after rising 4.4 percent in 2017, reflecting the improving economy, a senior central bank official said on Monday. Non-performing loans (NPLs) likely peaked in the final quarter of last year and might fall slightly in 2018, Daranee Saeju, a senior director of the Bank of Thailand’s financial institutions strategy department, told reporters. Banks’ NPLs rose to 2.91 percent of loans at the end of last year, totalling 429 billion ba ht ($13.57 billion), compared with 2.83 percent at end2016, the BOT said. (Reuters, 13/2/18)

2. Thai central bank bans banks from cryptocurrencies. Thailand’s central bank said on Monday it had asked financial institutions not to get involved in cryptocurrency transactions for fear of possible problems from the unregulated trading. Banks are prohibited from investing or trading in cryptocurrency, offering cryptocurrency exchanges and creating platforms for cryptocurrency trading, the central bank’s governor, Veerathai Santiprabhob, said in a circular. (Reuters, 14/2/18)

3. Thailand Future Fund to delay to mid-2018, said Ministry of Finance. The MoF said the change in the timeline will not affect the planned investment in building two express lines. (Thai Post, 16/2/18)

4. MPC keeps policy rate unchanged at 1.5%. The Bank of Thailand’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) kept the policy interest rate unchanged on Wednesday. The seven-member rate-setting committee unanimously voted to leave the one-day repurchase rate unchanged at 1.5%, the central bank said. The central bank has kept the rate unchanged since April 2015 . (Bangkok Post, 14/2/18)

5. NBTC puts brakes on spectrum auctions as it awaits legal view. THE BOARD of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) yesterday resolved to put the brakes on the NBTC’s move to auction 1800MHz and 900MHz licenses, pending the Council of State’s reply to it on whether it has authority to call for bids as an acting regulator . (The Nation, 15/2/18)

6. U.S. inflation expectations drop in January: New York Fed survey. Inflation expectations of consumers declined in January, according to a New York Fed survey released Monday that conflicts with how markets are assessing price developments. The survey of consumer expectations showed median inflation expectations fell by 0.1% to 2.7% on the one-year horizon. The three-year horizon also slipped 0.1% to 2.8%. (MarketWatch, 13/2/18)
7. Japan fourth quarter GDP rises 0.5 percent on consumer spending. Japan’s economy grew at an annualized rate of 0.5 percent in the October to December period, posting the eighth straight quarter of expansion due to growth in consumer spending and capital expenditure. That marked the longest streak of growth since a 12-quarter stretch between April to June 1986 and January to March 1989 around the height of Japan’s economic bubble. (CNBC, 14/2/18)
8. Powell says Fed will be vigilant for financial stability risks. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, at a ceremonial swearing-in as head of the central bank, said on Tuesday the Fed would keep watching for financial stability risks and preserve “essential” improvements in financial regulation since the 2007-2009 crisis. (CNBC, 14/2/18
9. US weekly jobless claims rebound from near 45-year lows. The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits rebounded from a nearly 45-year low last week, but remained below a level that is associated with a tightening labor market. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 7,000 to a seasonally adjusted 230,000 for the week ended Feb. 10, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Claims for the prior week were revised to show 2,000 more applications received than previously reported. Claims fell to 216,000 in mid-January, which was the lowest level since January 1973. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims rising to 230,000 in the latest week. (CNBC, 16/2/18)

10. January retail sales post biggest decline in 11 months. U.S. retail sales unexpectedly fell in January, recording their biggest drop in nearly a year, as households cut back on purchases of motor vehicles and building materials. The Commerce Department said on Wednesday that retail sales decreased 0.3 percent last month, the largest decline since February 2017. Data for December was revised to show sales unchanged instead of rising 0.4 percent as previously reported. (CNBC, 14/2/18)