Panel expected to maintain policy rate

Central bank likely to await clearer data

- SOMRUEDI BANCHONGDUANG

Economists expect the Bank of Thailand to keep its policy rate unchanged at tomorrow’s meeting, as the central bank awaits clearer economic data and allows time for its new governor to settle in.

Pipat Luangnaruemitchai, chief economist at Kiatnakin Phatra Financial Group (KKP), said the central bank's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is likely to vote on Oct 8 to hold its policy rate steady, though the decision may not be unanimous.

“The meeting on Wednesday will be the first chaired by the new governor, and there are still several factors that require close monitoring,’ he noted.

The central bank's new governor, Vitai Ratanakorn, who assumed office on Oct 1, has reaffirmed the bank's primary mission of safeguarding macroeconomic stability amid both domestic and global challenges.