Briefs
BOT urged to pause rate hike Thailand's Commerce Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong urged the central bank to consider keeping interest rates unchanged at its next policy meeting.
"I will try my best to work with the BOT [Bank of Thailand]," Kittiratt said yesterday. "I would like to urge the BOT not to raise the interest rate further. I would be grateful if it can pause further increases in interest rates." |- Bloomberg
Confidence up
The Commerce Ministry's consumer confidence index, surveyed from 76 provinces, was up slightly from 29.1 points in July to 30 points last month, thanks to the government's policy to boost income and economic growth.
However, consumers still have low confidence as they are concerned about the rising cost of living, said Benjawan Ratanaprayul, director to the ministry's Bureau of Trade and Economic Policy.
She pointed out that consumers in Bangkok, the central and the southern parts have lower confidence as they are more worried about the cost of living, while consumers in the North, East, and Northeast have higher confidence as they expect more incomes in the future. - The Nation
Gift fair in October
The Department of Export Promotion will organise the 32nd Bangkok International Gift Fair and Bangkok International Houseware Fair (BIG & BIH) from October 18-21 at the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre. The fair is expected to boost sales of lifestyle goods amid the slowdown in the United States and the European Union.
The department expects at least 600 exhibitors from Thailand and overseas to display their products at 1,600 booths, while 100,000 trade visitors are expected. - The Nation
