A woman walks past festive decorations at a shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand, Jan. 6, 2026. Thailand's business sentiment weakened in December 2025 as confidence in the manufacturing sector faded amid continued improvements in the non-manufacturing sector, data from the central bank showed on Monday. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak)
BANGKOK, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's business sentiment weakened in December 2025 as confidence in the manufacturing sector faded amid continued improvements in the non-manufacturing sector, data from the central bank showed on Monday.
According to the Bank of Thailand, the Southeast Asian country's business sentiment index (BSI) slipped to 49.8 last month, from 50 recorded in November, as optimism declined in most components of the index.
For 2025, the overall index grew slightly from a year earlier, driven by the manufacturing sector, particularly the export-oriented industries, which saw a surge in front-loaded shipments during the first half of the year before new U.S. tariffs took effect, the central bank said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the non-manufacturing sector dropped compared to the previous year, despite support from the government's stimulus measures targeting the hotel and restaurant as well as the retail trade sectors, the central bank noted.
The three-month expected BSI came in at 54.4 in the December survey, up from 53.4 a month earlier, hovering above the 50-neutral mark for the fifth consecutive month.
The reading was based on a survey of 667 respondents from large and medium-sized firms. ■