BANGKOK, 20 November 2014 -The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) has reported an uptrend in the Thai Industrial Sentiment Index (TISI) towards the end of the year as a result of increasing orders from abroad.
FTI Chairman Suphan Mongkolsuthee indicated that the TISI in October was standing at 87.5, increasing from 86.1 in September, due largely to more purchasing orders being placed by importers overseas ahead of the year-end festive season. Remarkable increases were seen in such product categories as fashion, food, electronic and electrical appliances and telecommunications. Other positive factors included the government’s disbursement of economic stimulus budgets and the declining oil prices.
Nonetheless, Mr Suphan noted that entrepreneurs remained worried about the domestic economic direction and the slow-to-recover global economy. They viewed that the government should urgently accelerate its investments and budget spending so as to stimulate the economy in the long run and bolster the private sector’s confidence.
As for the automotive industry, about 150,000 units were produced in October, up 13.7 percent from September. As a result, the production figure for the first ten months of this year has amounted to 1.5 million units, less than the same period last year by over 25 percent. The whole year’s figure is expected to reach 2 million.
