Bank of Thailand Increases Policy Rate to Tame Inflation

By Kosaku Narioka

Thailand’s central bank raised its policy rate as it continued its efforts to tame inflation.
The Bank of Thailand said Wednesday that its policy committee voted unanimously to increase its one-day repurchase rate by 25 basis points to 2.25%, effective immediately.
All seven economists polled by The Wall Street Journal had projected the central bank would raise its policy rate by a quarter percentage point.
Thailand’s inflation has moderated in recent months. The consumer-price index in June rose 0.2% from a year earlier, following a 0.5% increase in May and a 2.7% gain in April, compared with the central bank’s inflation target range of 1.0%-3.0%.
The Thai central bank began lifting its policy rate in August 2022 from a record low of 0.50%, in response to a surge in inflation caused by the Russia-Ukraine war and the recovery from the pandemic.
 
Write to Kosaku Narioka at [email protected]