Key insights
- Thai export growth in February, while positive at 9.9% year-over-year, missed forecasts, signaling potential softening in global demand. Increased imports led to a trade deficit. While Thai exports are not a primary driver of US equity markets, weaker-than-expected growth in a key Asian economy can be a marginal negative signal, reflecting potential headwinds for multinational corporations and global economic outlook.
BANGKOK, March 24 (Reuters) - Thailand’s customs-cleared exports rose 9.9% in February from a year earlier, driven by electronics and electrical equipment, the commerce ministry said on Tuesday, but the growth was less than analysts had expected. * In the first two months of this year, exports grew 18.9%and were seen rising for the full year, the ministry said in astatement. * The February reading compared with a forecast rise of15.8% in a Reuters poll and followed January’s 24.4% increase. * Imports rose 31.8% in February from a year earlier,leading to a trade deficit of $2.83 billion in the month. * Exports, a key driver of the Thai economy, rose 12.9% in2025, the highest growth rate in four years, driven byfront-loading ahead of the introduction of U.S. tariffs.