The Commerce Ministry reports April’s export growth at 24.7 percent while import grew 27.8 percent, registering the first trade deficit in three months. The ministry is still hopeful of attaining its export growth target of 12 to 15 percent this year. Commerce Minister Porntiva Nakasai said April’s export totaled 17.56 billion baht, a growth of 24.65 percent year-on-year.

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April Sees Trade Deficit in 3 Months

Thailand’s open and tightly integrated into global trade economy experienced a V-shape contraction and recovery from late 2008 through late 2009
Government consumption will likely contract due to the phase-out of consumption measures of the first fiscal stimulus package. Investment is expected to recover, as capacity utilization rises and deferred maintenance, machine replacements and limited expansion of existing plants take place. In addition, there are indications that construction investment, long subdued, may be picking up.

Total shareholder returns (TSR) for 2009 are calculated by assuming that investors reinvest all cash received over the course of the year to determine a total return from one’s investment. The 2009 analysis covers 505 companies from the Stock Exchange of Thailand and the Market for Alternative Investment and is based on share valuations as of Dec 31 and dividend payments made over the 2009 calendar year.
‘‘Only 35 companies on the SET have market capitalizations of more than $1 billion, with another 80 companies between $200 million and $1 billion.

Despite the failure of the BSE, the concept of an orderly, officially supported securities market in Thailand had by then attracted considerable attention. In this regard, the Second National Economic and Social Development Plan (1967-1971) proposed, for the first time,
a plan for the establishment of such a market, with appropriate facilities and procedures for securities trading.

In 1969, as recommended by the World Bank, the government acquired the services of Professor Sidney M. Robbins from Columbia University to study the development channels of the Thai capital market. Professor Robbins had previously served as Chief Economist at the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. The same year proved an eventful one for the Thai capital market, as the Bank of Thailand also formed a Working Group on Capital Market Development, which was assigned the task of establishing the stock market. A year later, in 1970, Professor Robbins produced a comprehensive report entitled “A Capital Market in Thailand”. This report became the master plan for the future development of the Thai capital market.