Baht set to keep rising in Q1 alongside surge in bullion

Standard Chartered Bank (Thai) expects the baht to continue to appreciate against the US dollar in the first quarter of this year, in line with rising global gold prices.

- SOMRUEDI BANCHONGDUANG

However, the Thai currency is projected to return to its fundamental level in the second half of the year, the bank noted.

According to Tim Leelahaphan, senior economist at Standard Chartered for Thailand and Vietnam, global gold prices have now surged to around US$5,100 per ounce, up about 20% year-to-date and exceeding the bank’s forecast.

From a global perspective, Standard Chartered expects gold prices to rise further to $5,150 per ounce by the end of this year, he said.

According to Mr Tim, the sharp rise in gold prices has continued to exert upward pressure on the baht, which strengthened to around 31.08 baht to the dollar yesterday.

He forecast that the baht would begin to depreciate against the dollar from the second quarter through to the second half of the year, moving to around 33 baht per dollar by midyear. By the end of 2026, the baht is expected to weaken further to about 33.50 per dollar, in line with Thailand’s economic fundamentals.