Setthaput latest to vie for BoT post : Six candidates in the race for central bank governor as application deadline passes. Setthaput Suthiwart-Narueput, a member of the Monetary Policy Committee and the prime minister’s advisory team, has joined the race for the top job at the Bank of Thailand, bringing the number of contenders to six. Bangkok Post
High-yield bond fund tipped for 2021 : A high-yield bond fund is expected to emerge by next year to provide liquidity for non-investment-grade debenture issuers, with investment limited to a select group of investors. Bangkok Post
CP’s Tesco deal yet to be approved The Office of Trade Competition Commission (OTCC) has asked Charoen Pokphand Group (CP) to submit more documents concerning the group’s mega-deal to acquire 86.9% of the Thai business of Tesco and 100% of the UK retailer’s Malaysian business. Bangkok Post
Closed borders pose tourism risk : 60% of hospitality firms face closure. If the country does not let foreign tourists in by the end of the year, some 60% of hospitality enterprises are at risk of going out of business, according to the Tourism and Sports Ministry. Bangkok Post
GSB readies B100bn for small firms : State-run Government Savings Bank (GSB) is prepared to offer a fresh batch of soft loans worth 100 billion baht to help virus-ravaged small business operators in the tourism and service sectors keep their employees on payroll. Bangkok Post
Rayong locals implored to undergo Covid-19 tests : The Interior Ministry yesterday ordered all provincial governors to survey people who were in Rayong at the same time as a 43-year-old infected Egyptian soldier and offer them tests for Covid-19. Bangkok Post
FTI: Tyre probe stems from spat : Move by US will hit ailing Thai industries. The US Department of Commerce’s new anti-dumping investigation on tyres exported from Thailand to the American market is believed to result from the US-China trade war, as some exporters are Chinese factories relocated to Thailand, says the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI). Bangkok Post
Central bank allows gold traders to apply for FCDs : The Bank of Thailand plans to permit gold traders to apply for foreign currency deposits (FCDs) in preparation for gold trading in US dollars, an attempt at managing foreign exchange volatility. Bangkok Post
1.9m sign up for domestic travel perk : More than 1.9 million people signed up for the “We travel together” tourism stimulus package as of 6pm on the first day of registration, a scheme devised to promote local travel as the industry has been battered by the pandemic. Bangkok Post
Baht erodes further after Somkid’s exit : The baht continued to weaken on Thursday after the resignations of Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak and four other key officials, reflecting foreign investors’ concerns about the continuity of the government’s economic policies. The baht is now Asia’s weakest currency against the US dollar on a year-to-date basis, down 5.5%, according to Reuters. Bangkok Post
