Showing 1 - 9 of 9
Why Thailand must protect its international reserves
News, Sawai Boonma, Published on 04/11/2015
» On the basis of its international reserve holdings of over $160 billion (4.4 trillion baht), Thailand has been a member of the rich-nation club for many years now.
Somkid's stimulus plan an invitation to more debt
News, Sawai Boonma, Published on 02/09/2015
» The cabinet on Tuesday endorsed the emergency economic stimulus package proposed by the new team under the leadership of economic czar Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak.
Cabinet shuffle unlikely to kickstart growth
News, Sawai Boonma, Published on 05/08/2015
» As the economy continues to stagnate, speculation is getting more intense as to when the prime minister will replace some - or perhaps all - ministers in charge of the economy. Changing personnel may pacify the critics, but it is unlikely to change anything for the better. Both external and internal factors are working against any possibility of achieving robust growth in the near future.
Is lower growth a 'sustainable' blessing in disguise?
News, Sawai Boonma, Published on 04/02/2015
» Economic numbers and growth prospects seem to make few people happy these days. But unless we are among the desperately poor or unemployed with few prospects of changing our lot, perhaps we should not feel bad.
Debt-inequality trap risks being sprung any moment
News, Sawai Boonma, Published on 05/11/2014
» Last month, the International Monetary Fund issued its latest assessment of the global economy for 2014, lowering the growth rate from 3.7% projected in its previous assessment to 3.3%. The picture is less rosy despite better outlook for the United States - the largest engine of the world economy – that leads the Federal Reserve System to stop pumping massive amounts of money into the economy via quantitative easing, which totaled some $4.5 trillion over the past six years. Gloomier prospects for other economies have been attributed to continued feeble demand.
Keep a keen eye on the advisers, not just the NCPO
News, Sawai Boonma, Published on 06/08/2014
» Recent days saw the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War One and the latest default by Argentina on its international debt.
Debt aside, economy looks a lot like Greece's
News, Sawai Boonma, Published on 01/05/2013
» When the current eurozone crisis reached Greece, many Thais asked whether what was happening over there could happen here.
Pawning rice is worse than pawning Thailand
News, Sawai Boonma, Published on 05/12/2012
» Since the launching of the rice-pawning scheme a few months ago ("pawning" is not only a correct translation of the Thai word jam nam but also reflects the sense of the scheme better than the "pledging" that many writers have used), two areas have been analysed most thoroughly: its potential impact on the budget and national debt, resulting from the large losses that will occur, and the corruption that is due to happen at various steps of the scheme. Some analysts go so far as to say that losses from this scheme will bankrupt the country and pawning rice is tantamount to pawning the country.
Gimmicks won't bridge wealth gap
News, Sawai Boonma, Published on 04/07/2012
» Thais possess almost an unlimited supply of proverbs and sages' sayings, which they often quote to justify or rationalise what they do. One of them is this: Follow a big person, so that dogs don't bite.