Thailand's Economic Growth Rises 4.3 %
Thailand's economic growth rose a stronger-than-expected 4.3 percent in the first quarter from a year ago as an export surge offset weakness in consumption and investment growth, according to the state planning agency, International Business Times reports:
Political uncertainty continues to weigh on the Thai economy, but the surprising strength in the first quarter may explain why the Bank of Thailand said recently that it would wait to see how growth and oil price trends develop before deciding whether to lower interest rates further.
So far this year, the central bank has cut its one-day benchmark rate by 1.5 percentage points to 3.5 percent.
