Consumer index rises first time in seven months

[webfact]

Consumer index rises first time in seven months

 

 

BANGKOK: -- The Consumer Satisfaction Index (CSI) for July has increased for the first time in seven months after the country's serious  drought situation has eased and farmers are fetching higher prices for their crops.

 

This was revealed by Mr Thanawat Polwichai, director of the Center for Business and Economic Forecasting with the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce.

 

He said  that the CSI for July has risen for the first time in seven months from 71.6 last month to 72.5 this month.

 

It was the first time that this has happened this year, he said.

 

He said that the increase applied to every consumer category and was the direct consequence of the improved drought situation accompanied by the steady rise in agricultural produce prices.

 

This in turn has prompted a significant rise in consumer spending in rural areas, he said.

 

Touching on the upcoming Sunday’s charter referendum, he revealed that the majority of the people asked is eagerly waiting for the outcome of the referendum.

 

He said popular opinion is that a general approval will help to stimulate the national economy.

 

In another development, most people who have been asked have stated that they really had no idea what the outcome of Sunday’s referendum on the newly drafted constitution will be.

 

Most stated however that they believe the government will stay true to its promise to hold elections in 2017 in accordance with the roadmap that they had set out at the beginning of their tenure.

 

The general consensus is that if the new constitution is generally received then the framework for the 2017 elections will be better defined and grounded than ever before.

 

If however the vote falls the other way then most fear that the impact on foreign and local private investment will be bad as these investors will then be forced to adopt a wait-and-see attitude before committing any of their resources, he said.

 

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/consumer-index-rises-first-time-seven-months/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2016-08-05

[elgordo38]

Well I see the BS brigade is out in full swing. I wonder if this guy ever goes into a store and buys anything? The people are eagerly awaiting the outcome of the constitution vote yeah sure. Then he plays the fear card in the end about how businesses may not want to invest here if the referendum is turned down yeah its the usual fear tactic speak with a little soap thrown in for good measure. Most people believe the government will remain "true" to their promises (I must check their record on this) and call an election. Geeze does this guy ever know how to pile it on.

[Brer Fox]

This BS news is so fresh it still has the steam coming off it. So only five days after the end of July they are able to come out with such complex indexation statistics. Yeah right!

 

Everything seems to be on the rise in Thailand. The Consumer Satisfaction  Index is up, so too are tourist numbers, and probably road fatalities and murders and rapes (if the news stories are anything to go by). The baht is up, rice prices are up,  agricultural product prices are up, referendum excitement is up and the Happiness Index is sure to be up also.

 

Everything smells like roses now but will the gloom come down after the vote counting?

[Srikcir]

21 hours ago, webfact said:

If however the vote falls the other way then most fear that the impact on foreign and local private investment will be bad as these investors will then be forced to adopt a wait-and-see attitude before committing any of their resources

Finally an honest assessment.

This contradicts Kasikorn Research Center Managing Director Chao's recent statement that whether people vote for or against the draft constitution on August 7th, the Thai economy will not be affected by the outcome. He claimed investors are looking for long term investments based on factors other than the constitutional referendum. Lack of a pluraity support for a constitution is simply crucial to any foreign investor decision of where to invest versus risk.