Showing 1 - 10 of 14
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.
Is a return to gold standard possible?
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 11/12/2025
» We are now in the middle of the holiday season. Therefore, I will refrain from writing about heavy and depressing issues like the Thai economy and the outlook for 2026 and beyond. In this moment of joy, I will write about the possibility of returning to the gold standard, which some supporters say can be seen in central banks aggressively buying gold bullion to replace the dubious US dollar. The last article of the year will be about the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF).
Govt may not have stimulus plan tools
News, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 16/10/2025
» Nowadays, governments around the world sound like movie production houses. They always come up with catchy slogans for their policies, like Donald Trump's Big Beautiful Bill.
Problems await the new BoT governor
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 04/09/2025
» The first problem incoming Bank of Thailand (BoT) governor Vitai Ratanakorn will face is political uncertainty.
BoT is absolutely right in holding rates
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 22/02/2024
» The whole country -- the government, its economic agencies, private economic research houses, the private sector, and academics -- is accusing the Bank of Thailand (BoT) of being stubborn for refusing to lower interest rates to support the weak economy, aka, the economy in crisis.
When times get tough, Thais party
News, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 07/09/2023
» Today's article is far from being sarcastic towards or mocking Thais. On the contrary, it explains the current weakness of the economy and, more importantly, the serious implications for the effectiveness of the government's economic stimulus packages. So, this article is recommended reading for the new economic team.
Pheu Thai's cash handouts a likely flop
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 24/08/2023
» The title of this article says it all. Pheu Thai Party's flagship economic stimulus policy of handing out 10,000 baht to all Thais aged above 16 years old, with an estimated cost of 560 billion baht, will most likely fail to stimulate (or jump-start) the economy from the recent economic slump.
Can Omicron spur a Great Depression?
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 02/12/2021
» The emergence of a new Covid-19 variant -- Omicron -- has caused quite a stir globally just as many nations are on the recovery track from the Delta variant. Scientists worry that the latest strain first detected in South Africa has as many as 50 mutations, 32 of them on the spike protein which theoretically makes it much more transmissible than the Delta variant.
If jabs don't work, we must have Plan B
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 24/06/2021
» What would you do if you were a government facing a (rapidly) falling economy, receding tax income, ballooning public and private debts, drying up domestic liquidity, and feeble economic relief programmes?
A long road to recovery for Thailand
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 10/06/2021
» The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) in last December's forecast raised its global GDP growth forecast for 2021 from 4.2% to 5.8% as of May 2021, primarily due to the achievement of Covid-19 vaccine rollout in developed nations. The GDP growth rate for the US is estimated to be as high as 6.9% this year -- an admirable rise from a contraction of 3.5% last year. The US is not the only economy that benefits from a quick vaccine rollout. The UK economy is projected to grow at an even higher rate of 7.5% in 2021 as more than 40% of its population has been fully vaccinated and about 60% of its population received at least one dose.