Customs-cleared exports unexpectedly increased for a second straight month in September with higher demand from major markets, an encouraging sign for Thailand's trade-dependent economy which is still struggling to regain traction. Exports rose 3.4% from a year earlier with a value of US$19.46 billion, commerce ministry data showed on Wednesday, compared with the median forecast for a fall of 2.0% in a Reuters poll. In September, imports were 5.6% higher from a year earlier, with a value of $16.91 billion, producing a trade surplus of $2.55 billion for the month. Exports, worth about two-thirds of the country's economic output, have declined in each of the past three years. The Bank of Thailand has predicted exports will fall 2.5% this year, but deputy governor Mathee Supapongse told Reuters on Tuesday that shipments might perform better than forecast.

Source: Bangkok Post October 26, 2016 10:18 UTC