BANGKOK, Jan 2 – Thailand’s top business executives are optimistic about the country’s economic growth this year, predicting the gross domestic product (GDP) at 4.6 per cent and a rocketing stock index to 1,412 points, according to a university survey.
Durakij Pundit University and Krungthep Turakij newspaper jointly conducted the survey by interviewing 251 business leaders in Thailand between Nov 25 and Dec 20.
This year’s profit growth is estimated at 4 per cent with 45.3 per cent of the respondents giving credit to market expansion and greater demand, 25.3 per cent to capital reduction, and 12.6 per cent to business restructuring.
The five most influential factors affecting business performance are Thailand’s economic situation (3.6 points), decreasing market demand (3.5 points), the shortage of capable personnel (3.4 points), the domestic political situation (3.4 points) and the cost of raw materials (3.3 points).
Lao, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia and China are five countries where Thai business is looking forward to expanding their investment, and the three top industries are automotive, information technology and financial business.
The government’s tax refunds for first-car buyers stimulated the automotive industry, and the soon-to-be-launched third-generation (3G) mobile phone service favours the country’s information technology and telecommunications industry.
According to the National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre, Thailand’s e-commerce will increase by 30 per cent this year and the growth will be sustainable.
Meanwhile, the Bank of Thailand forecast the opening of 9.6 million personal loan accounts last year, an increase by 800,000 accounts from 2011.
