Bank of Thailand Holds Rate at 1%, Lifts Export Forecast to 22% on AI Demand
Policymakers voted unanimously to hold for a fourth meeting, lifted the export outlook from 14% in June and said rates could rise if growth is strong enough.
Southeast Asia
Thailand
- Vietnam
Vietnam's VN-Index Ends October 1.5% Lower as Foreign Investors Keep Selling
A late-month rally on Vingroup shares faded in the final week, as banks slid and overseas funds sold on each of the last two sessions.
- Thailand
Thai Private Investment Jumps 21.6% Month on Month in September on AI Data Centers
Bank of Thailand data show electronics exports and data center imports lifting growth while foreign arrivals fell 6.3% from August and the current account slipped into deficit.
- Malaysia
Penang Ships 52.6% of Malaysia's Record RM215 Billion September Exports on Chip Demand
State data show Penang alone added RM55.5 billion of exports from a year earlier, as electronics shipments to the U.S. and Taiwan hit new highs.
- Philippines
Philippines Sells Only P15.5 Billion of P30 Billion Bond Offer as Yield Jumps to 8.24%
Bids covered just 0.7 times the offer, the fourth weekly bond sale in a row to end in a partial award, as the BSP says rate cuts are not yet on the table.
- Malaysia
Sunway Construction Wins RM921 Million Johor Data Center Job, Order Book at RM11.7 Billion
The U.S.-client award came as Kee Ming won a Selangor data center contract and MyDCD's IPO was oversubscribed 36 times by the Malaysian public.
- Malaysia
Bank Negara Holds OPR at 2.75%, Sees 2026 Growth Above 5% as Ringgit Firms to 4.04
Malaysia's central bank kept rates steady at its last meeting of the year and warned that inflation will edge higher in 2027, keeping talk of a future hike alive.
- Indonesia
Indonesia's 10-Year Bond Yield Hits 7.71%, a Six-Year High, as Rupiah Tests 18,200
A weak government debt auction, MSCI fears and a rupiah near record lows push Jakarta's borrowing costs well above the 6.9% assumed in the 2026 budget.
- Malaysia
Malaysia Factory PMI Rises to 51.0 in October, Highest Since April, on AI Chip Orders
S&P Global's survey shows Malaysian factories back in expansion as new orders pick up, though rising freight costs pushed business confidence to its lowest since April.
- Thailand
S&P Affirms Thailand at BBB+, Sees Net Government Debt Rising to 47% of GDP by 2029
The agency kept a stable outlook on the strength of Thailand's reserves and external position, but forecast growth of just 2.3% this year and steady fiscal slippage.
- Philippines
Philippine Inflation Jumps to 7.8% in October, Fastest Since 2023, as Core Hits 5.4%
Transport costs rose 20.1% on fuel and fare increases, and economists now expect the central bank to raise rates again in December.
- Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh City Draws $19.1 Billion in Foreign Investment in 10 Months, 4.2 Times Last Year
Vietnam's commercial hub took more than a third of the country's registered FDI after its merger with two neighboring provinces, led by a $4.9 billion port and a $2.1 billion AI data center.
- Philippines
Philippine Economy Grows 2.1% in Third Quarter, Missing 3% Forecast as Farm Output Falls
A fifth straight quarter of slowing growth leaves the central bank weighing weak demand against 7.8% inflation before its Dec. 17 meeting.
- CambodiaAnalysis
Cambodia's Two-Speed Economy: Tourist Arrivals Fall 43.7% While Garment Exports Rise 7.2%
Factories and regional trade are carrying an economy that has lost Thai visitors, Thai fuel and most of its migrant jobs across the border.
- Malaysia
Malaysia Industrial Output Rises 6.3% in September, Beating Forecasts on Electronics
Factory output grew 9.4% and manufacturing sales hit RM191.1 billion, offsetting a deeper slide in oil and gas production, official data showed.
- Malaysia
Ringgit Slides Past 4.07 per Dollar as Fed Hike Bets Pull Malaysian Bank Stocks Lower
Hotter U.S. inflation erased most of the currency's post-Bank Negara gains in two sessions, while Maybank and Public Bank led the FBM KLCI down 0.55%.
- Vietnam
CTP Agrees to Buy Ares-Owned SLP's Vietnam Logistics Portfolio for About $500 Million
The European warehouse developer gains seven completed properties and six development sites around Hanoi, Haiphong and Ho Chi Minh City as manufacturers keep shifting supply chains to Vietnam.
- Laos
Laos Lines Up 47 Power Projects With 8,260 MW for Export to Vietnam by 2030
Only a third of the capacity is running so far, and officials in Vientiane say transmission lines, not generation, are the main constraint.
- Thailand
Thailand's Actual BOI Investment Rises 28% to Over 260 Billion Baht in Third Quarter
Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas said money spent on promoted projects grew for a third straight quarter, led by digital and electronics, before a Japan roadshow next week.
- Thailand
Thai AirAsia Parent AAV Posts 2.37 Billion Baht Loss as Jet Fuel Jumps 61%
Asia Aviation cut seats by a quarter and raised fares, but fuel at $137.5 a barrel and a weaker baht pushed its third-quarter loss to nearly three times last year's.
- Philippines
ICTSI Nine-Month Profit Rises 20% to $898.9 Million as New Terminals Lift Volume
The Philippine port operator's revenue climbed 24% on new terminals in Durban and Batam, but fuel costs tied to the Middle East squeezed its EBITDA margin.
- Thailand
MR. D.I.Y. Thailand Q3 Profit Rises 7.1% to 648 Million Baht as Margins Narrow
The Bangkok-listed home goods chain grew revenue 20% by opening stores, but same-store sales rose just 0.7% and its gross margin slipped more than two points.
- MalaysiaAnalysis
Malaysia's Final Q3 GDP on Nov. 18 Could Top 5.3% Advance Estimate After Factory Surge
Industrial output beat forecasts in September and Bank Negara now sees 2026 growth above 5%, putting the top of the government's 4.8% to 5.3% range in play.
- Thailand
Thai Airways Swings to 418 Million Baht Q3 Loss as Fuel Costs Jump 59.8%
Thailand's flag carrier grew revenue 12.9% on higher fares, but fuel, flood damage and finance costs pushed it into its first quarterly loss of 2026.
- Vietnam
Vietnam Lawmakers Pass Securities Law Changes 463-1, Creating Fintech Sandbox
The revisions take effect March 1, 2027, trim paperwork for brokers and custodian banks, and leave the choice of stock exchange model to the prime minister.
- Philippines
Philippine Peso Slides 45 Centavos to 63.7 per Dollar as PSEi Drops 0.6% on BMI Growth Cut
Bets on a U.S. rate increase lifted the dollar, while Meralco and PLDT fell ahead of their removal from MSCI indexes and ACEN led a broad stock sell-off in Manila.
- Philippines
Philippine Foreign Investment Pledges Jump 125% to P166 Billion in Q3, Led by Taiwan
Taiwanese projects made up nearly half of the commitments as manufacturing and power drew the most money, while officials said BOI, PEZA and BCDA approvals have reached P1.4 trillion this year.
- VietnamAnalysis
Vietnam Inflation Hits 5.09% in October, Pushing 10-Month Average Past the 4.5% Target
Fuel, housing and power costs lifted consumer prices, leaving the State Bank of Vietnam with less room as the government chases 10% growth.
- Malaysia
Malaysia Rules Out GST Return Until Minimum Income Hits RM4,000, Anwar Keeps SST
The prime minister told parliament the sales and service tax already raises 3.2% of GDP, as new borrowing falls but spending on cash aid and fuel subsidies keeps rising.
- Vietnam
Vietnam Needs 12.5% Fourth-Quarter Growth for 10% Goal as It Cuts Fuel Tax to Zero
Hanoi has scrapped the excise tax on petrol and trimmed electricity tariffs 2% to protect demand and contain prices as it chases a double-digit growth target.
- Vietnam
Vietnam's Dong Climbs to 18-Month High as Trade Surplus Hits Record $7.31 Billion
The dollar fell to 25,930 dong at Vietcombank, its lowest since April 2025, as new data showed 10-month FDI pledges at a 17-year high and inflation at 5.09%.
