Written on April 2, 2014
Four days in a row that foreign investors had been net buyers in Thai equities making the SET proliferate 27 points or 2% due to speculation over QE launching from the ECB. Even though the number came out as my expectations and that momentum could continue for a while, don’t be too complaisant as our fundamental still looks dry.
Grudgingly speaking, the ADB projected Thailand’s economic growth will be the second lowest among Asean members this year, after Brunei’s 1.1%. The political crisis is undoubtedly the No.1 risk for the country. The Constitutional Court’s ruling last month to nullify the inconclusive election on Feb 2 and call for a new poll WITHOUT providing a time frame increases uncertainty on whether a functioning government will be formed in the first half. Nonetheless, the bank said foreign investors in Thailand are not expected to flee, but prefer to hold off until the political situation eases before making additional investment.
In terms of fundamental, clearly the Thai economy is at risks of falling into recession for the first two quarters, yet not worrisome as it could rebound from Q3. Central bank governor Prasarn said, “We should not give much weight to the technical recession. It’s not a worry if it’s a case of unemployment remaining low and businesses continuing to run, as the economy in Q3 and Q4 could pick up.” He added the monetary policy easing could boost consumer and investment confidence, but its efficiency was constrained amid the current situation and would not solve the problem immediately.Remember on Mar 12, the MPC voted 4 to 3 to slash the policy rate by 25 bps to 2% to provide a buffer to downside risks to growth. I think it’s adequate for now given the +2.11%YoY Mar-inflation reported yesterday that causes the real interest rate to negative (-0.11%). Inflation is expected to rise to about 3% by end-2014 and average 2.5% for the whole year. Therefore, the MPC could maintain its rate at 2% at its April 23 meeting.