Showing 1 - 10 of 25
In an uncertain world, gold is a comfort
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 05/02/2026
» With Thai citizens heading to the polls this Sunday to decide which party will form the next government, I have decided to postpone my article on the economic crisis for another two weeks.
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.
The baht is almost as good as gold
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 18/09/2025
» The baht is undoubtedly the strongest currency in the region. Over this year, the baht has appreciated 4.45% against the dollar while the Vietnamese dong has depreciated 8.47%.
Thailand has lost its last growth engine
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 29/05/2025
» Thailand has lost its last engine of growth and people are abandoning hope for a decent life.
Digital wallet scheme hits another snag
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 13/06/2024
» The new financing problem of the 10,000-baht cash handout, commonly known as the Digital Wallet Scheme (DW), has not made much noise in the media. This may be because the government wants this to be a non-issue, but in reality, it is a serious one that could wreck the entire scheme.
New govt faces 4 economic time bombs
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 18/05/2023
» The election result is already out and Thailand is heading for a big policy change. As the party with most seats, the Move Forward Party will form the government. The second place-getter -- the Pheu Thai Party -- has agreed to be in the coalition. These two parties, however, have totally different views on how to run the economy.
World faces prospect of financial tumult
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 23/03/2023
» Today, I was supposed to present the third article, Managing Household Debt, in the series "Changing Thailand". In fact, I have finished drafting a payment reduction model which could reduce monthly debt payments by 4.6 times without the hair-cutting debt principal or requiring government financial support. But I will delay that article for now.
World economy downhill from here
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 17/11/2022
» When I planned for this week's article, I wanted to write about the illusions of today's economic picture such as the robust GDP growth in emerging economies, declining inflation rates, booming travel business, strengthening of the Thai baht, and so on. But even with the economic data and theories to back up my claims, who would believe me? Who would believe that the current robust demand is nothing but an example of short-term, pent-up demand after two years of the Covid-19 outbreak? Who would consider the fact that consumers have no increased purchasing power to sustain today's level of consumption? Most of all, who would imagine that things would change drastically in the fourth quarter after consumers face the reality of a higher cost of living and stagnant income?
Spectre of 2023 global recession looms
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 19/05/2022
» In economics, there is no such thing as a surprise. Major economic events like rising inflation, interest rate hikes, currency depreciation, even economic recession can be detected as far as a year ahead.
Hiked wages could ease current slump
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 24/02/2022
» Before getting to the main story of raising wages, I have a point of concern to raise. That is the unusual movement of Thai baht exchange rates. Theoretically, this is the time the baht should be depreciating because of rising current account deficits due to the high prices of imported oil.