BANGKOK, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's business sentiment continued to decline in April across all sectors, mainly due to the impact of the Middle East conflict, data from the central bank showed on Tuesday.
According to the Bank of Thailand, the business sentiment index (BSI) of the Southeast Asian country stood at 43.5 last month, a decline from 47.7 in March, as most components of the index dropped, led by cost and performance.
The manufacturing index weakened, driven by the petrochemical and plastic industries, as a tighter supply of upstream feedstocks weighed on downstream production, including plastic packaging and chemical fertilizers, the central bank said in a statement.
Furthermore, the electronics industry, particularly semiconductors, saw a dip in confidence amid concerns about raw material shortages, notably helium, hampering production processes.
Meanwhile, the non-manufacturing index decreased, dragged down by the hotel and restaurant sectors, where sentiment plunged to its lowest level since the pandemic in 2019.
The central bank attributed this downturn to a fall in long-haul arrivals, as reduced flight services, elevated airfares, and mounting safety concerns negatively affected the vital tourism sector.
The three-month expected BSI came in at 40.9 in the April survey, down from 44.2 a month earlier, extending below the current index and the 50-point threshold for the second straight month, reflecting concerns over a prolonged conflict.
The reading was based on a survey of 672 respondents from large and medium-sized firms. ■
