ASEAN CEOs rank Thailand among top investment destinations

BANGKOK, 25 February 2016 (NNT) – Thailand has been placed among the top five destinations for investment by business executives in ASEAN despite their lower confidence in the economy.

Mr Sira Intarakumthornchai, CEO of Pricewaterhouse Coopers, disclosed results of the 19th Global CEO Survey which indicated a decrease in confidence among CEOs around the world. The index of confidence in the global economic growth dropped from 37 percent last year to 27 percent while the confidence in their company’s profit also edged down from 39 percent to 35 percent.

Similar results were obtained from another survey conducted specifically on CEOs within the ASEAN region. The sentiment index on economic growth went down from 49 percent to 39 percent while that on corporate earnings declined from 47 percent to 38 percent.

Despite the negative sentiment, the survey pointed out that investment has not been affected. Thailand was ranked one of the five most attractive places for investment in the eyes of ASEAN CEOs, with the country’s strengths being the abundance of skilled labor, acceleration of public and private investment spending and its location in the heart of the ASEAN region.


-- NNT 2016-02-25

NNT assiduously avoids bad news. Quite likely there is more to this than reported here.

The spin factory have done a good job on this one.

Invest in what pray tell? the economy is in the crapper since the army took over, there is no

consumer confident in the real estate market, farmers are at a loss as to what to grow to make

a living, hidden unemployment, not to mentions high salaries for useless and under productive

Thai labor force, so much so that that they bring hundreds of thousand of neighboring workers to

man many dirty work positions that Thai workers doesn't want to fill... invest in what?

I would think other ASEAN countries would take a long hard look before investing unless there is a tax advantage in having a high possibility of losing the investment that over rides the invested amount

ASEAN countries invest here knowing how things work, or rather don't, on all fronts from the law to the lack of skilled even motivated worker

wow.... in the top 5 of ASEAN. How many countries are in the ASEAN? 10..?! OK, so Thailand is in the first half... respect

The spin factory have done a good job on this one.

The first thing that came to mind was: are the TAT spin doctors allowed to have side jobs?

Meanwhile -

"BOI [board of Investment of Thailand] Secretary-General Hirunya Suchinai has revealed that the BOI will be encouraging Thai entrepreneurs to make investment in CLMV market (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam) along with other member states and new markets this year." 2016-02-25

Makes sense - with Thailand's sluggish growth rate and yet unresolved political conflict, risk of investment in Thailand is much greater than in the CLV market.

ASEAN countries invest here knowing how things work, or rather don't, on all fronts from the law to the lack of skilled even motivated worker

__________________ one of the five most attractive places for investment in the eyes of ASEAN CEOs, with the countrys strengths being the abundance of skilled labor, acceleration of public and private investment spending. ____ I was always under the impression that there is a shortage of skilled workers in Thailand. I learn something new everyday

Edited February 25, 201610 yr by excalibur2000

The spin factory have done a good job on this one.

It's what happens when the reporter writes the story and the little general writes the headline.

I know quite a number of ASEAN CEOs. Every one of them likes to visit Thailand for combined business/pleasure. Maybe they asked ASEAN CEOs where their favorite place to visit to do business is, and then extrapolated?

'... despite their lower confidence in the [Thai] economy ... investment has not been affected.' Highly doubtful. If I have less confidence in the merits of an investment than I previously did, why am I going to throw good money after potentially bad?

ASEAN countries invest here knowing how things work, or rather don't, on all fronts from the law to the lack of skilled even motivated worker

That's because in many cases they work the same way in their own country. Some small procedural differences and nuances, but all work on the rich elite, feudal patronage clan systems. With the wealth always retained by the few very very rich families who get richer and richer and never seem to be affected by economic downturns.

...a bad joke. Nobody with a checkbook is gonna' take this seriously.