Showing 1 - 10 of 10
The unanswered questions about banks that are 'too big to fail'
Business, Teera Phutrakul, Published on 06/10/2017
» The recent announcement by the Bank of Thailand instructing the country's five biggest banks to beef up their capital reserves caused a minor panic among some of my elderly relatives. Who can blame them when regulators use jargon that sounds like ancient Greek to most people? Basel III, D-SIBs, Tier-1 capital ratio, just to name a few.
The Curse of the Low-Income Trap of Thai Farmers
Business, Teera Phutrakul, Published on 08/09/2017
» As I write this article, both sides of the political divide in Thai society are still hard at it, flinging insults at each other as they preach about what ails the country. After more than a decade of political unrest, Thailand is still not at peace with itself. Not by a long shot. In fact, the events surrounding the Aug 25 court hearing in the trials of figures from the previous regime epitomise the shambles that Thai society has descended into.
Time to rethink our misguided reform policy on state-owned enterprises
Business, Teera Phutrakul, Published on 12/06/2017
» If King Rama V were alive today, he would not recognise any of the major landmarks of old Siam during his reign. The only exception is the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) that he started in 1890. That was a joke. Not a very funny one, especially for the 44 million commuters that still rely on SRT trains to go about their business.
Is the SET biting the hand that feeds it?
Business, Teera Phutrakul, Published on 26/06/2017
» There has been a lot of talk in the media lately about the public hearing being conducted by the Finance Ministry and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on the proposed separation of the Capital Market Development Fund (CMDF) from the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) into a separate legal entity.
A gauntlet from Omaha: Unjustifiable costs of mutual funds
Business, Teera Phutrakul, Published on 24/04/2017
» I have just finished reading the 2016 annual report of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Nothing to complain about since last year was another spectacular year. The share price was up 20.8% compared with a 12% increase in the S&P 500 index.
Private Education: Local international schools punching above their weight?
Business, Teera Phutrakul, Published on 03/10/2016
» It's the beginning of October and the summer holidays are definitely over as my nieces and nephew have headed back to their boarding schools in England. My own son is still too young to be sent away, so he will have to make do with a local international school here in Bangkok.
Despicable Me: The Secret Life of (Some) Bankers
Business, Teera Phutrakul, Published on 24/10/2016
» There is an old saying in the banking industry that the greatest responsibility of an ethical banker is to "protect the client from the bank." In other words, experienced bankers know that banks will always seek to profit at the expense of their clients. And that is exactly what happened at Wells Fargo, an American international bank, headquartered in San Francisco.
No country for old men: how to cope with the looming retirement crisis
Business, Teera Phutrakul, Published on 01/08/2016
» Much has already been written about the rapidly ageing society in Thailand but one recent figure caught my attention. According to the Fiscal Policy Office, only 5.4% of retired citizens have the means to survive on their own savings or from the sale of their properties.
The Tailor of Panama: What You Need To Know About Bespoke Tax Havens
Business, Teera Phutrakul, Published on 11/06/2016
» Did the name Mossack Fonseca ring a bell to you before the big financial scandal? I didn't think so. Unless of course you were already a client of the Panama-based law firm. Mossack Fonseca is the firm whose internal database was leaked to the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.
The Economics of Investing in Football Clubs
Business, Teera Phutrakul, Published on 23/05/2016
» It is often said that owners of football clubs are the sort of people who know the price of everything and the value of nothing.