Thai GDP could give baht rally further boost
Growth data may help currency stay in pole position
SINGAPORE: The baht is looking to repeat its performance as one of Asia’s best currencies last year. Today’s growth data will shed light on a key pillar of its recent strength and may help it stay in pole position at least through the first quarter.
After being beaten by only the yen in 2018, the Thai currency has outshone all its regional peers so far in 2019, rising by 4% against the US dollar.
A robust domestic economy has helped it outperform both the won and Taiwanese dollar, which also have the benefit of a current-account surplus.
“The baht’s outperformance is attributable to the real strength of the nation’s fundamentals, including the current-account surplus,” said Hironori Sannami, an emerging-market currency trader at Mizuho Bank Ltd in Tokyo.
“That also includes the fact that it is less susceptible to the US-China trade war relative to other surplus economies like South Korea and Taiwan.”
Thailand is also less vulnerable to a downturn in the technology sector unlike South Korea and Taiwan, increasing the attractiveness of the baht, Sannami added.
The tourism sector, by one measure worth about a fifth of the economy, is also recovering, noted Frances Cheung, head of Asia macro strategy at Westpac Banking Corp in Singapore.
Data due today is expected to show the Thai economy grew 3.6% on an annual basis in the fourth quarter, its 12th consecutive quarter of above 3% growth.
The Bank of Thailand said the economy should continue gaining traction even though external demand might slow, in its Feb 6 policy statement.
In fact, the health of the economy was one reason the central bank has kept a hawkish tone, unlike many of its increasingly dovish global peers. Despite leaving rates unchanged at 1.75% at the latest meeting, two policy members voted for a 25 basis point increase, signalling a future rate hike remains a possibility, and further bolstering the relative attractiveness of the baht. — Bloomberg