Thailand’s economic contraction continued into the start of year, setting the stage for a further slump as the country now faces its worst wave of Covid-19 cases.
Gross domestic product in the first quarter shrank 2.6% from a year earlier, the National Economic and Social Development Council said Monday, compared with a median estimate of -3.3% in a Bloomberg survey and improving from the prior quarter’s 4.2% contraction. GDP rose a seasonally adjusted 0.2% quarter-on-quarter, beating the survey’s -1.0%.
The government faces a fresh dilemma between containing a new outbreak and sustaining domestic demand, which had started to recover in March before slumping again last month. The fresh wave, with new cases hitting a record Monday, has almost quadrupled the country’s total caseload since the start of April, sending consumer confidence to a…
