Showing 1 - 10 of 56
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).
VAT hikes alone won't narrow deficit
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 27/11/2025
» This article is not meant to attack Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas’s Medium-Term Fiscal Framework (MTFF) for the fiscal years from 2026 to 2030. It is meant to emphasise the fragility of a Thai fiscal position that requires multiple revenue enhancement measures.
Don't let politics mask economic woes
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 26/06/2025
» As if economic problems in Thailand are not bad enough, political issues add to the complications. The worst is the split in the coalition. Even with an overwhelming majority of 314 (out of 493 parliamentary seats) prior to the break-up, the government could not push for many major policies, including the 10,000 baht cash handout scheme.
Trump's tariff trade war is no accident
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 01/05/2025
» President Donald Trump's tariff policy has received numerous criticisms from various parties, including several Nobel Prize laureates, for being against the economic principles of free trade.
Stimulus packages need paradigm shift
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 03/10/2024
» Ever wonder why Thailand's economic growth is consistently lower than its peers? Even with a flood of foreign tourists of 28.1 million (154.4% growth) in 2023, our GDP growth was 1.9% compared to 5.5% in the Philippines, 5% in both Indonesia and Vietnam, and 3.7% in Malaysia. The growth figure for the first half of this year of 1.9% is far worse than many of our Asean friends.
Zombie banking deepens economic woes
News, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 19/09/2024
» This is the second of three articles, following the earlier article "Problems with Dr Thaksin's Visions". The series will end with an article titled "Call for a paradigm shift".
Banks that don't want money bode ill
News, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 11/07/2024
» When is the last time readers experienced a situation like this? One takes money to deposit in a bank and the bank says please take your money elsewhere as we have no use for it. Such an unusual situation is happening in Thailand at this moment. Thai banks are reducing their credit portfolios and, consequently, reducing their needs for funding.
How to finance the 2025 fiscal budget
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 27/06/2024
» The 2025 fiscal budget is supposed to be historic, aiming to turn around the sagging Thai economy. But it is going by almost unnoticed. The first reading of the Budget Bill passed with an overwhelming "yes" vote of 311 to 175. The debates were subdued and made few headlines. The second vote is expected on Aug 3. After passing the third vote by the House of Representatives, the 2025 budget will go to the Senate for final approval.
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?"
Will foreign investors still be wooed?
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 28/12/2023
» This is my last article for 2023. Appropriately, I should write about the 2024 economic outlook but I have decided to postpone that to be the first article of 2024 as the analysis might be too unpleasant to digest right now. However, I will leave a "teaser" for readers to ponder over during the long holidays. As such, I am left with two choices: an article about informal debt -- I estimate outstanding debt to be over 400 billion baht and that it could have strong ties with grey money -- or an article about Thailand's ability to attract foreign investors, as our Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin travels all over the world to attract them. In the end, I opted for the latter.