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Thailand: economy, interest rate and stock market

The central bank's policy rate is 1.00% (down 0.50 points over 12 months). Inflation was -0.1% in 2025 and GDP grew 2.4% (World Bank). SET Index (Thailand) is +23.5% over the past year.

Policy rate1.00%
Inflation · 2025-0.1%
GDP growth · 20252.4%
Unemployment · 20250.8%

Interest rate

1.00%   set by Bank of Thailand. Last change: −0.25 pt on 25 Feb 2026. Over 12 months: −0.50 pt. As of 8 Oct 2026.

Took effectRateChange
25 Feb 20261.00%−0.25 pt
17 Dec 20251.25%−0.25 pt
13 Aug 20251.50%−0.25 pt
30 Apr 20251.75%−0.25 pt
26 Feb 20252.00%−0.25 pt
16 Oct 20242.25%−0.25 pt
27 Sep 20232.50%+0.25 pt
2 Aug 20232.25%+0.25 pt
31 May 20232.00%start of our data

All countries: central bank interest rates. Rates move stocks through borrowing costs and the currency: rising rates usually weigh on rate-sensitive stocks and help banks, falling rates the opposite.

Stock market: SET Index (Thailand)

Level1M3MYTD1Yvs 200-day avgFrom 52-week high
1,573.01−0.4%−3.3%+24.9%+23.5%+4.9%−5.1%

Closing level on 15 Oct 2026. "vs 200-day avg" is how far the index is above or below its own average of the last 200 closes; "from 52-week high" is the drop from its highest level of the past year. Both are arithmetic on our price history, not a forecast.

Risk-on or risk-off?

Risk-on   4 of 5 price checks on SET Index (Thailand) are positive, as of 15 Oct 2026.

CheckReading todayPositive?
Index above its 200-day average+4.9% vs averageYes
50-day average above the 200-day average+6.4%Yes
3-month return positive-3.3%No
Within 10% of the 52-week high-4.8% from highYes
Volatility at or below its own 1-year median20-day 12% vs median 15% (annualised)Yes

4 or 5 positive = Risk-on, 2 or 3 = Mixed, 0 or 1 = Risk-off. Each check uses only prices up to that day, so the same rule can be run on history (below). It describes how investors are behaving in this market, not what happens next.

Context (not part of the score)

  • Global risk gauge (Market Compass): Risk-on, 1 of 7 warning signals on.
  • Breadth: 60% of Thailand's stocks are above their own 200-day average.
  • Oil is up 29% in three months. Thailand imports far more fuel than it exports, so this raises its import bill and tends to press on its currency and on fuel-heavy industries.
  • The central bank has cut its rate by 0.50 points over twelve months. Easing supports borrowing and stock valuations, and can squeeze bank margins.

How the rule would have done on the index, 2009-10-27 to 2026-10-15 (16.4 years)

StrategyReturn a yearWorst fallVolatilityTime investedSwitches
Buy and hold the index5.0%−44.3%16.0%100%–
Hold only when not Risk-off (2+ checks)3.4%−36.8%11.8%70.2%135
Hold only when Risk-on (4+ checks)4.0%−25.8%9.6%50.5%131

The position is decided at one day's close and applied to the next day's return, so the rule never uses the future. Time out of the market earns nothing here. Limits: index price only (no dividends, no interest on cash), no trading costs or taxes, one market and one period, and a rule that did well or badly in the past can do the opposite next time. Hypothetical results, not a promise and not advice.

Stocks that fit the current setting

Risk-on setting: the screen looks for the strongest price momentum over the last six months (skipping the latest month) among stocks trading above their 200-day average. Chosen from the 300 most traded stocks in Thailand, using prices up to 15 Oct 2026.

StockPrice3M6M momentumVolatility
SMT Stars Microelectronics (Thai...THB 7.15+77.0%+336.1%76%
ML Mida Leasing Public Company...THB 0.40−2.8%+257.1%89%
DELL19 Dell Technologies Inc.THB 16.50+32.2%+246.5%79%
TRT Tirathai Public Company Limi...THB 12.20−19.2%+229.6%49%
CNT Christiani & Nielsen (Thai)...THB 3.06+49.3%+203.6%71%
KCE KCE Electronics Public Compa...THB 74.75+83.2%+200.3%57%
AMD80 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.THB 3.72+14.8%+158.7%69%
GUNKUL Gunkul Engineering Public Co...THB 4.96−6.4%+136.0%42%
SSP Sermsang Power Corporation P...THB 7.75+90.9%+132.7%33%
TEAM Team Precision Public Compan...THB 6.40+42.1%+131.5%58%

These are candidates to research, not recommendations. The screen reads prices only: it knows nothing about the companies' earnings, debt or valuation, and a stock can fit the setting and still fall. Momentum screens tend to pick volatile stocks, so check the Volatility column. We cannot yet test this screen fairly on the past, because our price history only contains companies that are listed today, which flatters any screen. So instead of showing a backtest we record each day's picks and will judge the rule on what happens after the fact. Educational only, not financial advice.

Economy at a glance

MeasureLatestYear
Economy size (GDP)$577.0 billion2025
GDP per person$8,0572025
GDP growth2.4%2025
Inflation (consumer prices)-0.1%2025
Unemployment0.8%2025
Population71.6 million2025
Current account balance, % of GDP3.0%2025
Central government debt, % of GDP61.9%2024
Exports of goods and services, % of GDP71.1%2025
Imports of goods and services, % of GDP67.3%2025

GDP growth by year (blue growth, red contraction)

−9−6−303620142016201920222024

Inflation by year

−20246820142016201920222024

Unemployment by year

0011220142016201920222024

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, annual figures. The latest year is usually the previous calendar year, so these numbers are not live and are revised later by the World Bank.

Trade structure

Share of merchandise exports and imports by product group. ■ exports   ■ imports.

Fuels
2.4%
12.5%
Food
13.3%
6.1%
Agricultural raw materials
3.8%
1.2%
Ores and metals
3.6%
4.8%
Manufactured goods
73.1%
69.3%

High-technology products are 28.3% of manufactured exports (2024).

What the trade mix suggests to watch

  • Fuels are 2.4% of merchandise exports and 12.5% of imports, so energy prices are not the main swing factor in its trade.
  • Manufactured goods are 73.1% of merchandise exports: the economy sells made goods abroad, which ties it to global demand and to its exchange rate.
  • High-technology products are 28.3% of manufactured exports (2024), which links trade to the electronics and equipment cycle.
  • Exports plus imports equal 138% of GDP, so the economy is very open to trade: global conditions reach it quickly.
  • The current account was a surplus of 3.0% of GDP (2025): the country earns more abroad than it spends.

These describe the structure of trade, using the figures above. They are not forecasts and not investment advice. Latest available year differs by group (usually 2024 or 2025).

More on Thailand

Sources: Bank for International Settlements and central bank decisions (policy rates), World Bank (economy and trade), StocksXray price history (index). Educational only, not financial advice.