The reversal from last year on a sector basis is still comfortably under way. Interesting to see that the automotive sector has somewhat recovered from its doldrums from the post-yingluck government first car buyer scheme. But we are still seeing tonnes of inventory sitting around the world/region/country that has worried for this sector.

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Interest rates to stay at ‘extraordinary’ low levels, says Draghi. Interest rates have to stay at record low levels despite the resurgence in the eurozone economy because the upturn may not be sustainable, Mario Draghi told MEPs. “Despite a firmer recovery, and looking through the volatile readings in HICP inflation over recent months, underlying inflation […]

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4 Questions There has been a lot of noise regarding the PM’s four questions last week post the bombing at the Phramongkutklao hospital where the military typically visits. The first question asked whether people think the next elected government will ensure good governance. The second question asked what should be done if there is no […]

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Fed’s Kaplan backs view for two more rate hikes this year. Robert Kaplan, the president of the Dallas Fed, said he wasn’t worried about the strength of the economy or the outlook for inflation and said he expected the U.S. central bank to raise short-term interest rates twice more this year. With growth registering only […]

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Returning from my overseas trip I see that everything has gone read this year and that makes me happy. So the story hasn’t changed, its been the same for the past few years, valuations are fairish, the government is still trying to figure out how to run an economy, and tourism is rocking n rolling.

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Fed should start trimming balance sheet in second half: Bullard. The Federal Reserve has interest rates right where they should be, but should start trimming its massive balance sheet in the second half of the year, St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank President James Bullard said on Friday. “We’ve delayed a little bit too long in […]

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Portfolio construction – Weighting I think valuation is one of the easiest parts in finance but just like everything else there is no real answer as to what a company is worth because it is a market and there are multiple types of buyers/sellers, you have cashflows, but then one can layer on brand value, […]

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Ministry of Transportation to propose a Bt340bn increase in 2018 budget to the cabinet next week in order to fund megaprojects, i.e. two motorways and four airport improvement projects which include the development of 28 provincial airports. (Matichon, 2/5/17) Consumer prices up for 13th month. Consumer prices, which gauge the country’s inflation rate, rose for […]

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So, to summarize, stock prices are held up by abnormal profit margins, which in turn are produced mainly by lower real rates, the benefits of which are not competed away because of increased monopoly power, etc. What, we might ask, will it take to break this chain? Any answer, I think, must start with an […]

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