TISI rebounds for 5th consecutive month in April

BANGKOK, May 17 (TNA) - The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) reported Thursday that the Thai industries sentiment index (TISI) has risen for the fifth consecutive month in April 2012, standing at 104 points from 102.1 a month earlier, resulting from steadily growing orders, sale and business operational performances in the wake of the country's flooding crisis late last year. FTI Chairman Payungsak Chartsutipol said that the increased TISI was particularly boosted by rising domestic demand during the traditional Thai New Year or Songkran Festival last month, when purchase orders for Thai products, sales and shipments to overseas markets were also growing. Payungsak cautioned, however, that local small and medium-sized enterprises or SMEs in seven Thai provinces, including Bangkok, where daily minimum wages have first risen to 300 baht, need to adjust themselves to cope with increasing costs. According to the FTI chief, the expected TISI over the next three months stands at 112.6, from 109.5 projected in March 2012, boosted by increasing orders and sales, as well as better business operational results. The FTI chief acknowledged that a biggest concern of local business operators appears to be unstable oil prices, followed by vulnerable foreign exchange rates, as well as political and economic issues and lending interest rates. The FTI chair revealed that local business operators want the Thai government to boost domestic sales, cut people's costs of living, cushion impacts from the government's 300-baht daily minimum wage benchmark and work out effective measures to cope with drought and other natural disasters. (TNA)