July exports rise, but Covid curbs hit activityBank of Thailand’s senior director for economic and policy department, Chayawadee Chai-Anant (Photo: Bank of Thailand)The economy in July was increasingly impacted by the country's worst Covid-19 outbreak and tighter restrictions that extended into August, but fiscal policy and exports lent some support, the central bank said on Tuesday. In July, the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on the Thai economy became more apparent with weaker consumption due to the curbs, the Bank of Thailand (BoT) said in a statement. "While the relaxation of curbs from tomorrow allows activity to resume, in terms of people spending, we have to wait and see how much confidence will improve," she said. In July, private consumption fell 5.3% from the previous month and private investment dropped 3.8%, while tourism had yet to recover. Government expenditure increased 18% in July from a year earlier while exports rose 21.7% year-on-year.

Source: Bangkok Post August 31, 2021 07:36 UTC