Showing 1 - 10 of 78
BoT ought to revise exchange rate policy
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 26/09/2024
» This is not the usual time slot for my article. My articles are usually published every other Thursday. The next one was for Oct 3. However, I feel that the "too strong" Thai baht requires immediate attention.
Thaksin's 'vision' might be outdated
News, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 05/09/2024
» This article is not meant to diminish the brilliance of the spiritual leader of the Pheu Thai Party, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. It is to demonstrate that, despite his immense knowledge and vast experience, Thailand's current economic problems are caused by structural deficiencies and cannot be resolved by traditional stimulus measures. One needs a good understanding of economic principles to approach the problems correctly.
Q2 GDP growth may be misleading
News, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 22/08/2024
» I eagerly awaited the release of the Q2/2024 GDP growth figure which became available on Monday. The 2.3% growth figure, presented by the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC), did not surprise me. A friend had warned me that the quarterly growth could be as high as 2.5%, even though my estimation for the quarter was only 1.0%.
Digital wallet scheme poses credit risk
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 25/07/2024
» During the debate on the extra-fiscal budget for 2024 of 1.22 billion baht to fund the digital wallet (DW) scheme, the government presented the bright side of the figurative coin. This article will present the dark side of the scheme.
Stark reality behind economic figures
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 16/05/2024
» At the time of writing this, the official Q1 GDP has not been announced by the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC). I expect the growth figure will be around 1.2%. My own estimation, using the Output Approach and actual sectoral production index, gives a growth figure of 0.98%. Detailed data are in the below table.
Govt, BoT spat may not be economic
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 09/05/2024
» The row between the government and the Bank of Thailand (BoT) over its "high" interest rate is all over the news. Many have started questioning the appropriateness of the central bank's independence.
Why the economy is heading for a crisis
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 02/05/2024
» I wish I were this good when it comes to picking winning lottery ticket. Just a few days ago, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) lowered its 2024 GDP growth projection from 2.8% to 2.4%, citing blah, blah, blah.
Handout difficult without BoT's help
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 18/04/2024
» The purpose of this article is to educate the public about the real issue of the digital wallet scheme. The issue is not "HOW to get the 500 billion baht?" but "Is there 500 billion baht AVAILABLE to be borrowed?"
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%.
Time to stop making empty promises
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 07/03/2024
» The Nikkei 225 Index just broke 40,000, surpassing the record high of 1989. The stellar stock market performance happened amid the fact that Japan's economy is officially in recession after two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth.