Thai Oct exports seen up for 2nd month, factory output to fall

24 Nov, 2014

BANGKOK: Thailand's customs-cleared exports probably rose for a second straight month in October, while imports and factory output likely declined again, a Reuters poll showed.

Analysts predicted a rise of 0.8 percent in October exports from a year earlier, extending a 3.2 percent increase in September.

A Finance Ministry official said last week preliminary data showed exports rose about 4 percent in October.

The manufacturing output index (MPI) likely slid for a 19th straight month in October, down 2.25 percent from a year earlier, the poll showed. It fell 3.92 percent in September.

Exports, equivalent to more than 60 percent of the economy, have been weak due to tepid global demand, while domestic activity remains sluggish after months of political unrest.

Annual imports in October may have dropped 1.7 percent after a rise the previous month. Many imported materials are assembled into completed goods and shipped out again.

Copyright Reuters, 2014

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