Customs-cleared annual exports rose for a 10th straight month in December but at a slower pace than the previous month and below expectations, resulting in the first trade deficit in five months. Exports, a key growth driver, increased 8.6% in December from a year earlier after jumping 13.4% in November, commerce ministry data showed on Monday. December imports rose 16.6% from a year earlier after increasing 13.7% in November against the 10.3% forecast. The numbers resulted in a trade deficit of $280 million in December, the first deficit since July 2017, compared with a forecast of $1.1-billion surplus. In 2016, exports rose just 0.5% after three years of contraction.

Source: Bangkok Post January 22, 2018 06:22 UTC