• Impact from bomb blasts less than feared: Thai stocks fell less than we had feared on
Mon as a consequence of multiple bomb attacks. However, the situation still needs to be
closely watched as culprits behind the bomb blasts remain at large and the bomb attacks
at the country’s key tourist areas may also deal a blow to tourism in the near term.
• Thai GDP beats forecast: Despite bomb blasts over last holiday weekend, Thai stocks
remained resilient and managed to finished the session slightly lower due to upbeat GDP
data and PTT earnings speculation which kept buying bias intact. Data showed the Thai
economy grew at an annual pace of 3.5% in 2Q, beating economists’ forecast for 3.2%.
• Fund flows: YTD fund inflows into Thai equities topped US$2,985mn,the highest level in
8 years due probably to a search for yield in a low interest rate environment and dividend
speculation. In our view, fund flows are likely to slow down after the curtain fell on the
second-quarter earnings season yesterday. To gauge the direction of fund flows, all eyes
would turn to the US FOMC minutes of Jul meeting due out tomorrow for clues on the
timing of the next rise in US interest rates, a key factor that could trigger a reversal in fund
flows. In a big-picture sense, Thai stocks may be headed for a sideways move within a
trading range of 1540-1560 points today.
• Investment strategy: In our view, the b