Thailand delays launch of $2.9-bln infrastructure fund to second quarter. Feb 8 Thailand plans to launch a 100-billion baht ($2.85 billion)infrastructure fund in May or June this year, the finance minister said on Wednesday, as the military government seeks to fund investment projects to boost a sluggish economy. Last month, a ministry official said the fund would go public in the first quarter. The “Thailand Future Fund” will initially sell units worth 40 billion baht to 50 billion baht to Thai and foreign investors, Apisak Tantivorawong told reporters. (Reuters, 9/2/17)
Credit growth at 7-year low in 2016, says BOT. THE TOTAL value of credit extended in Thailand last year edged up 2 per cent, the lowest in seven years, reflecting the slow economic expansion, the Bank of Thailand has reported. (The Nation, 10/02/17)
ERC suspends power purchase deals. The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has suspended approvals for power purchase agreements (PPAs) of 11 wind farm projects located on Sor Por Kor land, mostly in Nakhon Ratchasima and Chaiyaphum provinces. (Bangkok Post, 7/2/17)
Apisak moves to allay lower treasury reserve fears. Finance Minister Apisak Tantivorawong yesterday rushed to soothe market jitters after treasury reserves slid to 70 billion baht in 2016, saying the reduction is in line with a state policy to cut down on interest expense. (Bangkok Post, 7/2/17)
Payrolls in U.S. Increase 227,000 While Wage Growth Weakens. January’s 227,000 increase in payrolls followed a 157,000 rise in December, a Labor Department report showed Friday in Washington. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for a 180,000 advance. (Bloomberg, 2/2/17)
Fed’s Evans sees fiscal boost to US growth, wants slow rate hikes. The U.S. Federal Reserve should raise interest rates slowly even as fiscal policies under President Donald Trump are likely to help push economic growth beyond sustainable levels, Chicago Federal Reserve Bank President Charles Evans said on Friday. (CNBC, 3/2/17)
U.S. manufacturing activity hits more than 2-year high in January – ISM. The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) said its index of manufacturing activity rose to 56.0 last month from December’s reading of 54.5. That was its highest level since November 2014. (Nasdaq, 2/2/17)
US jobless claims drop to near 43-year low. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 12,000 to a seasonally adjusted 234,000 for the week ended Feb. 4, the Labor Department said on Thursday. That left claims just shy of the 43-year low of 233,000 touched in early November. (CNBC, 09/0 2/17)
Japan’s property lending tops charts amid investment craze. Lending to Japan’s real estate sector climbed 15.2% to a record in 2016, supported by brisk property investment amid rising land prices and the central bank’s negative interest policy. (Nikkei Asian Review, 10/02/17)
China’s passenger vehicles sales fall in January. China’s passenger vehicles sales fell in January, the first year-on-year drop in almost a year, data showed Thursday. A total of 2.12 million passenger vehicles were sold in January, dropping 9.8 percent year on year, marking the first year-on-year drop since February 2016, according to China Passenger Car Association (CPCA). (Xinhua, 09/02/17)
