The Thai government`s planned mega-projects over the next five years were featured prominently at the opening of the `Thailand Focus 2005 — Strategists Forum`…
The Thai government`s planned mega-projects over the next five years were featured prominently at the opening of the `Thailand Focus 2005 — Strategists Forum` in Bangkok.
Participants at the government-sponsored fair were given details of the investment opportunities offered by the government`s planned five-year programmes of mega-projects worth around 1.7 trillion baht.
The projects would not affect the country`s fiscal position, the Permanent Secretary of Finance, Suparut Kawatkul told the seminar.
In my view, investment in mega projects will not adversely affect the current account balance though it may affect domestic (GDP) growth. But more importantly, the government needs to be able to answer investors` questions on the details of the projects, a leading analyst at Phatra Securities, Supavuth Saichue said.
Although the Thai economy had slowed it was likely to recover later in the year, as oil prices were expected to fall as a result of a reduced fuel consumption by Thai industry, he said.
Exports should recover and increase by the government target of 20%. The service sector, particularly tourism, should also improve along with the agricultural sector, he predicted. Interest rates would peak later this year, while listed companies` profits were likely to fall by more than 5 %, he forecast. Commercial banks should maintain their profitability this year, but this could be affected next year when they lose their tax benefits, he said.
Leading international economists from Thailand and 12 foreign investment banks, including ABN AMRO, GoldmanSachs, J.P. Morgan Securities, Macquarie Securities, Merrill Lynch, and Morgan Stanley are attending the forum to obtain information on the Thai government`s Fiscal Policy and Readiness for Investment in the Country`s Infrastructure, along with securities analysts from nine local companies and 54 representatives of foreign securities firms.
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