August 13, 2009
BANGKOK (AFP) - Confidence among Thai consumers has improved slightly on hopes of an economic recovery but still remains fragile, a poll showed Thursday.
The consumer confidence index in July was at 73.4 points compared to the previous month's score of 72.5, the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC) said in a statement.
It was the second month to see a gain since February but the index has now remained below 100 for 61 consecutive months. A score below 100 indicates pessimists outweigh optimists.
The UTCC said the latest survey of more than 2,000 people nationwide "reflected that consumers remain worried over political uncertainties and the Thai and global economic recovery".
Forecasters do not expect the index to fully recover until the last quarter of 2009, owing to high unemployment levels that "psychologically affect confidence," the statement said.
The slight gains were partly attributed to parliament's approval in mid-June of government plans to borrow 800 billion baht (23.5 billion dollars) in a mix of domestic and overseas loans for a three-year economic stimulus package.
The UTCC urged the government to speed up implementation of the package, particularly to create more jobs.
