Track Thailand's economy in English — business, trade, finance and market news, covered by Thai PBS World, Thailand's public broadcasting service.
CHICAGO, Nov 23 (Reuters) – Facing scarce year-end inventories and a shortage of workers, retailers are turning “Black Friday” into a month-long event. Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, said on Monday it had already started “Black Friday” discounts, such as $30 off AirPods and KidKraft dollhouses. Walmart, whose stores will be closed on Thanksgiving for the
The Thailand Consumer Council (TCC) is planning to submit a petition to the country’s telecom regulator against the planned merger between True and Dtac, two of the three major mobile phone service providers in Thailand, out of concerns that the merger will lead to telecom market control and unfair competition, which will not benefit consumers.
Thailand’s telecom regulator, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), has voiced concern that the merger of two telecom companies, True and Dtac, may lead to price collusion over service fees and spectrum auction bidding in the future. NBTC Commissioner Prawit Leesathapornwongsa who expressed concern after a meeting with representatives from Dtac about the potential merger
Impacted by COVID-19 lockdown measures, about 870,000 Thais were jobless during the third quarter of this year, a record high, with college and university graduates accounting for 3.63%. Meanwhile, household debt increased 5% over the same period, compared to the second quarter. Secretary-General of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) Danucha Pichayanan said
Thailand’s Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group and Norway’s Telenor Group jointly announced an “equal partnership” for the US$ 200-million joint venture, with a focus on tech start-up investment today (Monday). The news came after rumours swirling over the past couple weeks about a merger between the two telecom giants True and Dtac or a takeover. On
Thailand’s international economic policy is set to be revamped when a new government is formed next year, with the application to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CCTPP) high on the agenda, pledged representatives from three political parties. Some radical proposals were also discussed at the foreign policy webinar series (EP4), including
The tourism industry is showing initial signs of recovery, but Thailand’s small businesses and households are still struggling to survive as uncertainty about COVID-19 gnaws at the local and global economy. After Thailand reopened its doors on November 1 to fully vaccinated tourists, the number of arrivals has seen a steady, sharp increase. The number
Representatives of True Corporation and the Total Access Communication Company have been separately invited by the Office of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), Thailand’s telecom regulator, to clarify media reports of a potential merger of True and DTAC. Informed sources said that executives of Total Access Communications are scheduled to meet with the
Sanan Angubolkul, president of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, told an economic forum today (Saturday) that five regional chambers of commerce have been developing measures, to be complied into a white paper, for submission to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who is scheduled to meet with members of the private sector tomorrow. The measures include, among
Norway-based Telenor and Thailand’s Charoen Pokphand Group (CP) are exploring a merger of their telecom units in Thailand, which could result in a new market leader in the country, overtaking current number one AIS, which has around a 44% share of the domestic market. Telenor said, in a statement issued on Friday, that the potential
Thailand’s private sector is preparing to host the APEC Business Advisory Council in 2022 (ABAC 2022) under the concept of “Embrace, Engage and Enable” and using the traditional “Dok Loi” pattern, which is based on a Thai artistic style which pertains to a period of blooming. Last Friday, Thailand took over the rotating chairmanship of
Thailand’s cabinet today (Tuesday) approved a 20 billion baht loan, from the State Oil Fund, to maintain diesel prices at no more than 30 baht per litre for 4 months. The move comes as, earlier today, hundreds of truckers rallied in protest of the high diesel prices, currently between 29-35 baht/litre, and demanded the government
