Paiboon Nalinthrangkurn, Chairman of the Federation of Thai Capital Market Organizations (FETCO), commented on 6th February 2019 FETCO Investor Confidence Index (ICI)

During January, the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) Index gradually increased from a low of 1560 points at the beginning of the month to 1624 points at the end of the month, which was near the month’s high. Positive investment trends for the next three months have resulted from the setting of a specific date for Thai elections; confidence in the domestic economy; international capital flows which reflected net purchases in the Thai stock market in January; reduced concerns about US monetary policy and the possibility of further interest rate hikes; and positive expectations about ongoing US-China trade negotiations. Nevertheless, investors continue to be concerned about US-China trade negotiations; the domestic political situation; post-election political stability; continuity in government policy; and the impact of a global economic slowdown. Investors also continue to monitor a number of global economic factors including the unresolved BREXIT agreement with the EU; EU economic numbers which are lower than expected; the economic forecast for China and its impact globally and regionally; and trends in US dollar exchange rates. Investor interest was focused on the Tourism & Leisure (TOURISM), Banking (BANK), and Commerce (COMM) sectors, while Media & Publishing (MEDIA) and Steel (STEEL) attracted few investors.