The Treasury Department increased the rental rates on commercial activities on state land to 3-5% of return on assets per year. Previously, it had no clear guidelines. It believed this policy will make renting more efficient. (IQ Biz, 14/4/17)
NBTC says it will hold new 4G auction for 1800 and 850 MHZ early in 2018. It is quite sure that JAS will join the auction but under a different name since it is blacklisted. It expects this to generate revenue for the government of around Bt200bn. (Matichon, 14/4/17)
Visitors keep pouring in as summit nears. International tourists visiting Thailand have tallied 10.72 million for the year to date, up 1.9% year-on-year, and tourism revenue reached 559 billion baht, an increase of 4.2%, says Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul. Thailand is ready to host the World Travel Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Summit during April 25-27. (Bangkok Post, 20/04/17)
BOT urges hedging against currency risk. The Bank of Thailand governor Veerathai Santiprabhob yesterday urged exporters to hedge against volatility in the value of the baht as the country faced the prospect of trade protectionism against the backdrop of tensions on the Korean Peninsula – with “unpredictable” outcomes from the latter. (The Nation, 20/04/17)
National Statistical Office reports unemployment rate at 1.3% in March. There was 496 thousand unemployed labor, rising 99 thousand from the same period last year. (Post Today, 20/04/17)
Future govts ‘won’t face curbs’. The government has given assurances that a bill supporting its 20-year national development blueprint will not restrict future elected governments from making changes to the plan as they see fit. (Bangkok Post, 21/04/17)
China Q1 GDP growth accelerates at faster than expected 6.9% annual pace. China’s economy grew 6.9 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier, slightly faster than expected, supported by a government infrastructure spending spree and a frenzied housing market that is showing signs of overheating. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected the economy to expand 6.8 percent in the first quarter, the same pace as in the fourth quarter of 2016. (CNBC, 18/4/17)
US retail sales fell 0.2% in March vs 0.1% drop expected. U.S. retail sales fell for a second straight month in March amid softening demand for automobiles, suggesting economic growth slowed abruptly in the first quarter. The Commerce Department said on Friday retail sales dropped 0.2 percent last month. February’s retail sales were revised down to show a 0.3 percent decrease instead of the previously reported 0.1 percent gain. ( CNBC, 14/4/ 17)
Consumer prices dropped in March by the largest amount in more than 2 years. Consumer prices fell in March by the largest amount in more than two years, pushed lower by another sharp decline in the price of gasoline and other energy products. The Labor Department says the U.S. Consumer Price Index dropped 0.3 percent in March following a tiny 0.1 percent rise in February. It was the first monthly decline in 13 months and the biggest drop since prices fell 0.6 percent in January 2015. In addition to a big 6.2 percent fall in gasoline prices, the cost of cellphone plans, new and used cars and clothing were all lower last month. (CNBC, 14/4/17)
Japan’s export and import growth revved up in March, with the former marking a fourth straight month of expansion and a stronger yen helping the latter notch its fastest rise in more than three years. The value of Japan’s exports grew 12% year on year last month, according to Japan’s Ministry of Finance, coming in far above a median estimate of 6.7% and edging higher from February’s rise of 11.3%. (FT, 20/04/17)
