by Natthaphon Sangpolsit

    

BANGKOK (NNT) - The Bank of Thailand (BOT) has said the Kingdom’s economic activity in March came under pressure from rising coronavirus infections and higher inflation driven by increasing energy prices, following a recovery in the previous month.

 

According to the central bank, overall business activity was steady in March, while the baht depreciated following an escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

 

Senior BOT Director Chayawadee Chai-Anant told a news conference, however, that the Thai economy should remain on the recovery path.

 

She said the economy in "the first quarter recovered but not strikingly, compared with a very good fourth quarter," adding that the recovery was expected to continue in the second quarter of this year.

 

Keep up to date with all things Thailand - Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe

 

The economy grew a faster-than-expected 1.9% in the fourth quarter of 2021 from a year earlier.

 

On Wednesday, the BOT trimmed its 2022 economic growth forecast to 3.2% from 3.4% and raised its headline inflation to 4.9%, above its target range of 1%-3%, due to the impact of the war in Ukraine.

 

The BOT said in a statement that the economy in February recovered due to stronger exports and more foreign tourists after an easing of coronavirus curbs that also helped improve manufacturing.

 

Exports, a key driver of growth, rose 16.0% in February from a year earlier, with imports up 14.2% year-on-year, resulting in a trade surplus of $3.4 billion.

 

The country recorded a current account deficit of US$652 million in February after seeing a deficit of $2.2 billion in the previous month.

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2022-04-04

 

- Aetna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

- Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

 

At the close of currency trading on Saturday, the Baht rose against every currency with the same chart pattern.  It makes you wonder…

4 hours ago, webfact said:

She said the economy in "the first quarter recovered but not strikingly, compared with a very good fourth quarter," adding that the recovery was expected to continue in the second quarter of this year.

Scraping by is a good analogy for most workers.

While the billionaires are doing well.

5 hours ago, webfact said:

while the baht depreciated following an escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Sorry, must have blinked and missed that hiccup ! Total tosh.

i.e. how do we fool the people again.