Thai consumer confidence rose for a fourth straight month in September, reaching an eight-month high, bolstered by improved economic activity following the easing of Covid-19 curbs, according to a survey by the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC).
The consumer index rose to 44.6 in September from 43.7 in the previous month, the UTCC survey showed.
Meanwhile, the government plans to sell up to 50 billion baht (US$1.31 billion) of government savings bonds by the end of the year to help finance the country's budget deficit, a Finance Ministry official said on Wednesday.
The bonds are part of a planned issue of 130 billion of government savings bonds for the current fiscal year starting in October, Public Debt Management Office (PDMO) director-general Patricia Mongkhonvanit, told reporters.
There was sufficient liquidity in the Thai market, and the government had no plan to issue dollar bonds, unless necessary, as they were more expensive than domestic borrowing, she said.
The Bank of Thailand's (BoT) key interest rate is just 1.00%.
Thailand's public debt to gross domestic product (GDP) ratio was likely at 60.65% at the end of September, still within the approved limit of 70%, the PDMO chief said.
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