Thai central bank to hold rates until year end

Cautious call: People out shopping in Bangkok’s Chinatown amid the pandemic. With the central bank likely to leave interest rates as they are until the year’s end, some analysts have called for an earlier rate rise as concerns about inflationary risks mount. — Reuters

BANGKOK: Thailand’s central bank will leave interest rates unchanged at their record low for the rest of the year, a move designed to support economic recovery, but there are growing calls for an earlier rate rise amid inflationary risks, a Reuters poll has found.

Driven by higher food and energy prices, inflation in Thailand rose to 4.65% in April and was expected to stay over 5% in the coming months, well above the Bank of Thailand’s (BoT) target range of 1% to 3%.