Showing 1 - 10 of 27
2026 will be a year of debt struggles
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 08/01/2026
» Forget GDP growth. Forget tourist arrivals. Forget export figures. In 2026, Thailand's overriding economic challenge will not be growth but debt repayment.
Thailand now 'the sick man of Asean'
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 30/10/2025
» The inspiration for this article comes from the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) World Economic Outlook (WEO) report for the month of October.
Financing FY 2026 deficit will fall short
News, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 12/06/2025
» My message is short, loud and clear. There will not be enough money to finance FY 2026's 860 billion baht budget deficit. Without enough money, the budget will collapse and take the economy down with it. The government is learning the bitter lesson of drying up finance sources now, but budget financing will be in crisis in the 2026 fiscal year.
Making sense of performance figures
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 31/10/2024
» I have the duty of reviewing quarterly economic performances and making economic growth projections for a private research firm.
Structural flaws impede our economy
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 21/03/2024
» It took Japan 17 years to learn that a macroeconomic policy is for stabilising an economy, not stimulating growth. Due to low economic growth in the "lost decade" following the financial crisis in the autumn of 1997, the Bank of Japan adopted an unthinkable monetary policy of a negative interest rate in 2007 by pushing the short-term policy rate down to -0.1%.
A new middle class and core industries
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 04/05/2023
» This article, after a few interruptions, is Part 3 of "Changing Thailand: The Series." It began with a prologue that presented an overview, emphasising that Thailand has been lagging behind its neighbours in terms of per-capita income growth.
Putting a dampener on Thai recovery
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 26/01/2023
» After three years in which the economy suffered from Covid effects, I am sorry to say that 2023 will not be the year of economic recovery as everyone had hoped. The global economy will still be plagued by inflation threats and several adverse factors such as excessive debt and the Russia-Ukraine war. These negative factors prompted the World Bank to revise its global economic growth prospects downward from 3.0% to 1.7% for 2023. The key point is a marked slowdown from 2.9% growth in 2022.
Economic risks to watch out for in 2023
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 29/12/2022
» The world will end 2022 with big celebrations. Yet not because of robust economic growth, as growth this year is projected to be only 3.2% -- following the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) recent projections -- compared to 6.0% growth in 2021.
How are Thais spending so much now?
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 01/12/2022
» Third-quarter GDP growth for 2022 (Q3/2022) is 4.5% -- substantially higher than the expected 4%. The main driving factor is robust private consumption -- not tourism income -- which expanded 9% in real terms and 15.7% in nominal terms, compared to the same quarter last year. On the surface, this high growth phenomenon may look normal as most Asean countries have enjoyed similar benefits of low Covid infections and pent-up demand. For instance, Malaysia's private consumption also expanded 15.7% in the same third quarter.
Risk of global financial crisis spiking
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 03/11/2022
» I am writing this article in Tokyo. Judging from my walks around the city during the past week, and despite the fact everyone is wearing face masks, it's like Covid has vanished. Subways and trains are jam-packed and shopping areas are full of people. However, the pandemic has left some scars. Many shops have gone under, including my favourite 50-year-old sushi restaurant.