Thailand – BoT: Consumption up, investment down in June

• Jul 31, 2017

Private consumption rose slightly in June but private investmentcontracted from the previous month, central bank indexes showed on Monday, suggesting economic recovery remains patchy.

The Bank of Thailand’s (BOT) private consumption index for June rose 0.2% from the previous month, when it increased 1.3%.

The index for private investment declined 0.4% in June from May, when it had contracted 0.2%. The BOT said there was a current account surplus of $4.28 billion (142.4 billion baht) in June, after a $1.13 billion (37.6 billion baht) surplus in May.

Exports, based on financial settlements, rose 7.6% in June from a year earlier, the central bank said. A strong baht has yet to affect trade competitiveness and the central bank is confident of achieving its export growth forecast of 5% this year, a central bank official told a briefing on Monday.

The baht has strengthened about 7.5% against the U.S. dollar so far this year, the most of any Southeast Asia currency.

The BOT has forecast economic growth of 3.5% this year, with exports rising 5%. The economy grew 3.2% last year.

Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/news/1297334/bot-consumption-up-investment-down-in-june