thegreglowe.com

By GREG LOWE The global recession and domestic political turmoil have clipped Siemens Thailand’s growth expectations this year but the company still expects its turnover to increase in 2009, says CEO Anthony Chay. The impact of slumping global demand on Thailand’s heavily export-oriented economy is the major factor crimping the profits of Siemens’ industry-dependent operations. […]

[Read more →]

Thailand’s economic outlook remains decidedly bleak, but in Bangkok, some are bucking the trend by Greg Lowe Some Bangkok mid-range condominium projects are bucking market trends by achieving record sales amidst an increasingly negative domestic economic outlook. Developments in prime locations have sold out in a matter of hours in some cases, as developers resort […]

[Read more →]

Some property brokers and analysts forecast a 20-30 percent price correction as resort-grade property by Greg Lowe Some property brokers and analysts forecast a 20-30 percent price correction as resort-grade property undergoes a decline similar to plummeting markets in Hong Kong, Singapore and London. Others said the lack of buyer and developer leveraging means sales […]

[Read more →]

ASEAN’S 14th summit concluded in Thailand on March 1 having made some significant economic and political developments, but the association’s lofty goals will be hindered by protectionism and its non-interference policy, experts say. The Asean Cha-am Hua Hin Declaration affirmed the 10 member states’ commitment to free trade, the development of regional economic, social and […]

[Read more →]

By GREG LOWE IN BANGKOK DETERIORATING asset quality is becoming a serious issue for Thailand’s commercial banks, according to new central bank figures, but analysts say the sector can face down the recession due to its strong fundamentals. Bank of Thailand figures for the last quarter showed that re-entry non-performing loans (NPLs) – failed loans […]

[Read more →]

Greg Lowe | 26 Feb 2009 World Politics Review When Thai security forces recently raided the offices of the Working Group on Justice for Peace (WGJP) in the country’s insurgency-torn south, it may have been business-as-usual for a military with a checkered human rights record. But a report released last week by the International Commission […]

[Read more →]

By GREG LOWE IN BANGKOK AIRLINES are yet to be compensated for losses they suffered when anti-government protesters blockaded Thai airports last year, despite government assurances of financial support. Some 350,000 tourists were stranded in Bangkok and 3.4 million prevented from entering Thailand when a group called the People’s Alliance for Democracy seized the city’s […]

[Read more →]

By GREG LOWE IN BANGKOK THAILAND’S economy may be the worst hit in Asia as the global slump tightens its grip on the region, says Moody’s Economy.com. Yesterday’s interest rate cut by the Thai central bank will have little impact on productivity, according to analysts, who predict further cuts in the near-term.

[Read more →]

By GREG LOWE IN BANGKOK THAILAND’S economy contracted for the first time in a decade when growth in the fourth quarter of last year plummeted to -4.3 per cent. And this year’s GDP growth is likely to drop to -1 per cent, the National Economic and Social Development Board (Nesdb) said yesterday. Slumping demand in […]

[Read more →]

By GREG LOWE IN BANGKOK BANGKOK’S residential property prices will fall by 10 per cent this year, while resort area transactions have ground to a halt, but domestic political turmoil may have prevented a market crash, experts say. Foreign buyers, who account for around 30 per cent of Bangkok’s condominium market, continue to evaporate, leading […]

[Read more →]