Thailand confirms Phuket’s reopening date of July 1st

The Thai government has confirmed its plan to reopen Thailand to foreign tourists, starting with Phuket province as a pilot destination on July 1st, using the Phuket Sandbox model.

Visitors who travel by air to Phuket must provide documents to prove that they have received both COVID-19 vaccine doses. They are required to undergo rapid antigen tests, or reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT- PCR) tests, at their place of origin, and to register on www.gophuget.com and the MorChana application.

129,000 visitors

The TAT aims to attract 129,000 visitors to Thailand in the third quarter of this year, through the “Phuket Sandbox” project, where fully vaccinated tourists, who have tested negative for COVID-19, can visit Phuket for a minimum period of seven days, before travelling to other provinces with airports.

… Read the rest

Winning Streak on TSX Cools off a Mite

It was just a matter of time, but elements threw cold water on the upward momentum of Canada’s largest market as weakness in health-care and consumer stocks outdid gains by energy issues.

The TSX tumbled 121.19 points from Friday’s all-time high to conclude Monday at 19,730.99

The Canadian dollar eked up 0.10 cents to 82.88 cents U.S.

Even so, Reuters poll of strategists predicted that the main index will climb above the 20,000 mark by the end of 2021 as a recovery in the global economy from the coronavirus crisis boosts the outlook for resource stocks.

Health-care stocks weighed heaviest on the index, with Cronos Group fading 59 cents, or 5.5%, to $10.22, while Organigram Holdings lost 16 cents, or 4.2%, to $3.68.

Consumer discretionary stocks also got pounded, Sleep Country handing back 63 cents, or 2.1%, to $29.39, while Aritzia descended 42 cents, or 1.4%, to $29.33.

In consumer … Read the rest

Thai exports rise 13% in April

BANGKOK (NNT) – Despite the continuing hindrance of COVID-19, expanding exports and state consumption have turned the Thai economic trend positive.

Fiscal Policy Advisor Wuttipong Jittangsakul, reported today that Thai exports rose to over 21 billion USD in value in April, growing 13.1 percent on-year, the highest rate in 36 months.

Best performing goods included vehicles and automotive accessories, agricultural and goods and foods, and related work-from-home items. The nation’s top trading partners continued to be the United States, China, the European Union and South Asia.

Private consumption also improved on the same period last year. New car registrations soared 65.8 percent, in line with a 9.8 percent expansion in agricultural revenue.

Passenger car sales grew a huge 92.4 percent despite dropping slightly from March as consumer confidence fell from 48.5 points to 46, due to concerns to do with the latest wave of COVID-19 infection. Nonetheless, stimulus measures such … Read the rest

Week Shortened in U.S. by Memorial Day

Monday

U.S.

U.S. markets are shuttered for Memorial Day

Canada

Economic Lookahead

Industrial Product Price Index (April) In March, the Industrial Product Price Index increased 1.6% month over month and 10.0% year over year

Raw Materials Price Index (April) The Raw Materials Price Index was up 2.3% month over month and up 34.7% year over year.

Featured Earnings

Adventus Mining Corporation (T.ADZN) (Q4) EPS projected for loss of four cents, compared to a loss of one cent in the prior-year quarter.

Auxly Cannabis Group Inc. (T.XLY) (Q4) EPS projected for loss of one cent, compared to a loss of seven cents in the prior-year quarter.

Neo Lithium (V.NLC) (Q1) EPS projected at breakeven, compared to a gain of 12 cents in the prior-year quarter.

Tuesday

U.S.

Economic Lookahead

IHS Markit U.S. Manufacturing PMI (May)

Institute for Supply Management Manufacturing Index (May)

Construction spending (April)

Featured Earnings

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company

… Read the rest

What are the 5 most beautiful places in Thailand?

Thailand can be approached from two separate viewpoints, which you can pick. Thailand has been described as a land of beautiful beaches as well as ancient temples and monasteries.

If you like travelling, there is a strong possibility that you can love Thailand’s paradise, which provides you with an intense new environment

If you enjoy gaming online as a responsible pastime or as a recreational activity, selecting from the hundreds of online casinos currently available can be difficult. After all, each online gamer has a distinct personality, interests, dislikes, and beloved games.

Online casinos, like any player, are special. The below are the fundamentals to remember when looking for an online casino that can satisfy all of your gaming needs and more besides.

The five most spectacular places in Thailand that you really cannot afford to miss on this holiday are as follows:

1 Bangkok

Wat Pho in Bangkok is
… Read the rest

S&P Heads Higher for 4th Month in a Row

The S&P 500 climbed slightly on Friday to close its fourth straight positive month amid growing optimism over the U.S. economic recovery.

The Dow Jones Industrials amassed 64.81 points to end the day and the week to 34,529.45.

The S&P 500 added 3.23 points to 4,204.11.

The NASDAQ stayed in the green 12.46 points to 13,748.74.

The blue-chip Dow took on 0.9% and the S&P 500 advanced 1.2% this week, both breaking a two-week losing streak. The NASDAQ rose 2.1% to post its best weekly performance since April 9.

For the month of May, the 30-stock Dow gained 1.9% and the S&P 500 jumped 0.6%, posting their fourth up months in a row. The tech-heavy NASDAQ, however, suffered a 1.5% loss this month for its first negative month in seven.

Markets in the U.S. will be closed Monday for Memorial Day

Salesforce shares popped more than 5% Friday after the … Read the rest

Climate change raises asset risks for banks in Asia-Pacific

Climate change and related government policies expose Asia-Pacific banks to physical climate risks, as well as risks that stem from sudden changes in asset values as economic priorities shift, according to Moody’s Investors Service in a new report.

New standards and regulations will increase compliance costs for banks, while engaging in or facilitating activities with a significant negative environmental impact can inflict reputational damage on banks and tarnish their brands.

“Asia-Pacific economies with weak infrastructure are particularly vulnerable to physical climate risks, which can hurt banks’ asset quality because a natural disaster can damage borrowers’ assets or disrupt their cash flow. Many banks in the region also face asset risks from large exposures to sectors susceptible to carbon transition risks,”

Alka Anbarasu, a Moody’s Vice President and Senior Credit Officer

In addition, legal and reputational risks are increasing for banks in Asia-Pacific as governments advance guidelines and regulations for sustainable … Read the rest

TSX Goes Skyward Again, to another All-Time High

Stocks in Toronto capped off a brilliant, if short, week with another strong performance on Friday, propelled by health-care and resource issues.

The TSX muscled higher 77.77 points to conclude Friday at 19,852.18, yet another all-time high. On the week, the gain was nearly 325 points, or 1.7%.

The Canadian dollar subtracted 0.03 cents to 82.81 cents U.S.

Health-care stocks pulled more than their fair share of the weight, with Cronos Group stronger by $1.03, or 10.9%, to $10.45.

Organigram Holdings tallied 20 cents, or 5.7%, to $3.70.

In the gold patch, Sandstorm Gold hiked 33 cents, or 3.2%, to $10.55, while Barrick Gold shone 90 cents, or 3.2%, to $29.13.

In the communications sector, AcuityAd Holdings surged 48 cents, or 3.8%, to $13.25, while Corus Entertainment collected 14 cents, or 2.4%, to $6.10.

Only utilities found their end of the boat sinking, with Northland Power down 89 cents, or … Read the rest

Latest Covid-19 News in Southeast Asia

Singapore remains far and away the most vaccinated country in Southeast Asia, with nearly 30 percent of residents having received both doses. But the city-state has also seen an aggressive rise in local cases in recent weeks.

The International Institute for Strategic Studies reluctantly announced on May 20 that its marquee event in Singapore, the Shangri-La Dialogue, would be cancelled for the second year in a row due to the worsening Covid-19 situation in the region. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was one of several high profile defense officials set to attend the annual event, which was to take place the first week of June.

Singapore: stricter border screenings and quarantine requirements

This followed the recent cancellations of the World Economic Forum, also set to take place in the city-state, and the Singapore Open, a world renowned badminton tournament. These decisions reflect a grim reality in Southeast Asia: the pandemic is worsening just as nascent vaccine rollouts … Read the rest

Jobs Numbers Propel Dow Higher

U.S. stocks climbed on Thursday as investors cheered stronger-than-expected labour-market data.

The Dow Jones Industrials came off its peaks of the day, but remained positive 141.59 points to 34,464.64.

The S&P 500 added 4.89 points to 4,200.88.

The NASDAQ gave up earlier gains and edged down 1.72 points to 13,736.28.

Shares of Boeing advanced 3.9% on optimism about an economic recovery.

Gains for the overall market were capped however, as investors lightened up on technology shares as they rotated into cyclical stocks. Microsoft, Netflix, Alphabet and Apple all registered losses.

Snowflake shares fell 4% after the data-analytics software company reported widening losses. Nvidia’s stock dipped slightly even after the chip giant’s earnings and sales for the first quarter both beat Wall Street expectations. Its revenue grew 88% compared to last year.

Meme stocks, which have jumped this week amid a resurgence in speculative trading, turned higher again on Thursday. GameStop … Read the rest