TISI decreases for first time in 7 months

Decline in capacity affects revenue

The Thailand Industry Sentiment Index (TISI) decreased for the first time in seven months to 92.6 points during the festive month of December last year, says the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI).

The indicator fell from 93.5 points in November because of many holidays, a decrease in production capacity as well as a drop in new goods orders.

“There were too many holidays last month, affecting purchase orders. Lower production capacity also affected revenue,” said Kriengkrai Thiennukul, chairman of the FTI.

The December TISI was based on a survey of 1,303 enterprises across 45 industries under the FTI. Respondents said a global economic slowdown is their main concern, with votes of 71.5%, followed by higher loan interest rates (48.8%) and the impact of a stronger baht on Thai exports (44.5%).

The…