BANGKOK, Supply chain problems and a run-up in global commodity
prices have caused many countries to face high inflation and numerous central
banks to tighten monetary policy by announcing the acceleration of the policy
rate hikes in the first seven months of 2022 with an aim to tame inflation. This
could possibly lead the recovering economy after the COVID-19 pandemic into a
recession. Therefore, it was apparent in July to see signs of capital moving out
of oil and various commodities into risky assets whose prices have decreased
considerably from end-2021.
The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) Senior Executive Vice President Soraphol
Tulayasathien said that there was substantial capital flown into the Thai stock
market in the first seven months of 2022. However, the tendency of the stronger
greenback on the expectation that the US Federal Reserve will raise the policy
interest rate in the future has weakened ASEAN regional currency continuously.
However, the baht retreat has been a boon to the Thai export and tourism
sectors. As of end-July 2022, SET Index closed at 1,576.41 points, an increase
of 0.5 percent from the previous month, moving in tandem with the indices of
other stock exchanges in the region.
Key highlights for July
-At the end of July 2022, SET Index closed at 1,576.41 points, up 0.5 percent
from the month before, in the same direction with indices of other stock
exchanges in the region. When compared to the end of 2021, SET Index decreased
by 4.9 percent.
-In the first seven months of 2022, SET Index was driven by the industries that
benefited from the country reopening. The industries that outperformed the SET
Index compared to the end of 2021 were Services, Resources, and Agro & Food
Industry industry groups.
-In July 2022, the average daily trading value on SET and Market for Alternative
Investment (mai) amounted to THB 61.86 billion (approx. USD 1.68 billion), or a
27.5 percent decrease from the same period last year. In the first seven months
of 2022, the average daily trading value was THB 83.96 billion. Foreign
investors returned as net buyers to a tune of THB 4.66 billion in July,
resulting in their net buy of THB 113.73 billion for the first seven months of
2022, with the highest trading value ratio for the four consecutive months.
-In July, there was one new company listed on SET, namely Thai Life Assurance
pcl (TLI), and two companies listed on mai, namely Bless Asset Group pcl (BLESS)
and Chic Republic pcl (CHIC)
-Forward P/E ratio of SET was 16.1 times at the end of July, above the Asian
stock markets’ average at 12.5 times; and historical P/E ratio of SET was 17.0
times, higher than the Asian stock markets’ average at 13.0 times.
-Dividend yield ratio of SET was 2.79 percent at the end of July, below the
Asian stock markets’ average ratio at 2.98 percent.
Derivatives market
-Thailand Futures Exchange PCL (TFEX)’s average daily trading volume recorded at
465,349 contracts in July, a 27.2 percent drop from the same period a year
earlier, significantly due to the decline in Single Stock Futures and SET50
Index Futures. During the first seven months of 2022, TFEX’s average daily
trading volume amounted to 557,397 contracts, up 2.8 percent from the same
period last year.
Source: The Stock Exchange of Thailand