Bond market sees foreign outflow of Bt16.3 bn in October
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The bond market witnessed foreign outflow of Bt16.3 billion last month, as Bt29.3 billion worth of short-term bonds were sold or redeemed, while Bt13 billion of long-term bonds were purchased on a net basis.
Suchart Thanathitiphan, assistant director of the Thai Bond Market Association’s research and development division, said yesterday that of the Bt29.3 billion, Bt9.8 billion was from bonds that were sold and Bt19.5 billion from bonds that had reached maturity.
So far this year, foreign outflow from the bond market has reached Bt21.7 billion, as Bt75.9 billion of short-term bonds were sold or retired and Bt54.2 billion of long-term bonds were purchased.
Foreign investors now hold Bt688 billion of Thai bonds, of which 12 per cent is short-term and 88 per cent long-term.
The move by foreign investors from short-term to long-term bonds has continued for five straight months. In the first five months, the outflow from long-term bonds was Bt40 billion but the inflow in the following five months was Bt95 billion and the trend is continuing, thanks to the appealing yields of local debt instruments.
Since the Bank of Thailand is expected to keep the policy interest rate at 2 per cent until the middle of next year, this will support inflows in the long run, the association believes.
