Rice exports down in first 11 months — Thai rice exports to the end of November this year were down 9.6% YoY 8.6 mn tonnes and the value down by 10.2% to US$4.1bn, the Thai Rice Exporters Association said. It expects Thailand to export about 1mn tonnes of rice in December, lifting the total for the year to about 9.6mn tonnes, Thai media reported. (Bangkok Post, 3/1/16)
Thai economic growth for 2016-2018 expected to stay anaemic: World Bank – Thailand’s economic expansion is expected to remain anemic at 2.4 per cent on average over 2016-18, due to challenges both external and internal, according to the World Bank. (The Nation, 8/1/16)
NBTC panel to meet on AIS’s 2G clients – The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) telecom committee will convene next week to seek ways to prevent 11 million subscribers to Advanced Info Service’s 2G-900MHz mobile-phone service from being affected once the company shuts it down, committee member Prasert Silphiphat said. (The Nation, 8/1/16)
Inflation in 2015 lowest in six years – Inflation last year hit the lowest rate in six years at negative 0.9 per cent, due mainly to dropping oil prices, while the Commerce Ministry expects this year’s inflation to inch back into positive territory, at 1-2 per cent, on stronger economic growth and baht depreciation. (The Nation, 5/1/16)
Thailand to cut personal income taxes from 2017 – Thailand plans to reduce personal income tax rates from 2017 in a bid to boost consumer spending power and help broaden the tax base, a finance ministry official said on Monday. (The Malaysian Insider, 4/1/16)
Euro zone economic sentiment improves as unemployment falls — Euro zone economic sentiment unexpectedly improved in December as unemployment continued its decline in the previous month, data from the European Union’s statistics office and the European Commission showed. The Commission’s monthly survey showed on Thursday that economic sentiment in the euro zone improved to 106.8 points in December from 106.1 points in November. (Reuters, 8/1/16)
China December factory activity shrinks, more stimulus needed in 2016 — China looked set for a soggy start to 2016 after activity in the manufacturing sector contracted for a fifth straight month in December. The official manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) stood at 49.7 in December. The official non-manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose to 54.4, from November’s 53.6, according to the NBS. The services sector has accounted for the bigger part of China’s economic output for at least two years. A reading below 50 suggests a contraction in activity, while a higher one indicates an expansion. (Reuters, 31/12/15)
Oil down more than 3 percent on U.S. crude build; Brent near 2004 low — Crude prices fell more than 3 percent on Wednesday, with Brent sliding toward 11-year lows, after an unusual build in U.S. stockpiles and signs Saudi Arabia will keep adding to the global oil glut. Crude inventories in the United States, the world’s largest petroleum producer, rose 2.6 million barrels last week, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said. (Reuters, 30/12/15)
Chinese regulator suspends circuit breakers — China suspended its recently implemented circuit-breaker system Thursday, hours after trading in Chinese stocks was halted minutes into the session because of a plunge in prices. The system also led to a trading halt on Monday amid selling, sparking a global sell-off in stocks. On Thursday, the circuit breaker kicked in after 29 minutes of trading, when the CSI300 plunged more than 7 percent. (CNBC, 8/1/16)
Applications for Jobless Benefits in U.S. Decreased Last Week — Fewer Americans filed applications for unemployment benefits last week, a sign the U.S. labor market remained robust entering 2016. Jobless claims dropped by 10,000 to 277,000 in the week ended Jan. 2, a report from the Labor Department showed on Thursday. The figure was in line with the 275,000 median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists. (Bloomberg, 8/1/16)
