Archive

Gold prices jump 500-550 baht on 21 Aug 2026, jewellery now sells at 71,050-71,100 baht per baht weight Prachachat · Aug 21, 2026

Gold Traders Association prices at 09:09 on 21 Aug 2026: bar gold buy-in 70,050 baht, sell-out 70,250 baht per baht weight (2nd announcement). Jewellery (96.5%) buy-back 68,644.48 baht, sell-out 71,050 baht. Global spot is about US$4,523.50/oz. The buy-back to sell-out spread on jewellery is over 2,400 baht, so buying and reselling gold within a day loses money. If you price gold items or take gold as collateral or payment, re-check your daily quote against the association's board.

Baht opens at 32.85 per dollar on 21 Aug 2026, with 32.70–33.00 expected over the next 24 hours Prachachat · Aug 21, 2026

The baht opened at 32.85 per USD on 21 Aug, close to Thursday's 32.87 close. TTB expects a 32.70–33.00 range over 24 hours. Drivers: a slight dollar rebound after a 3-month low, oil up about 7% this week, and a hawkish Fed minutes tone. Watch Fed Chair Kevin Warsh's Jackson Hole speech and the late-month US inflation data. Foreign investors bought 960 million baht of Thai equities and sold 1.84 billion baht of Thai bonds the previous day. For a typical SME, this is a daily move with no action required; if you have USD payments or receipts, check your hedging and pricing against this range.

Retail association sees 3–3.5% market growth in 2027 but says SMEs are still recovering slowly and wants Easy E-receipt revived The Standard Wealth · Aug 21, 2026

The Thai Retailers Association expects retail to grow about 3% in 2026, and 3.0–3.5% in 2027 (around 4.51–4.53 trillion baht). Growth is K-shaped: large export-linked firms are doing well while SMEs struggle with high costs, tight liquidity, bad debt and cheap imports. Average spend per receipt is falling as shoppers cut back to essentials, and durable goods and building materials are hit hardest. Retailers expect Q4 to be a peak season, but sales are seen flat year on year for Q3–Q4. The association is asking the government to revive the Easy E-receipt spending scheme. Nothing is decided yet, so for now, plan for flat sales, tighter cash flow and price competition rather than a demand rebound.

Heavy rain across Thailand today, with flash flood risk in the north, northeast and Bangkok area Prachachat · Aug 21, 2026

The Thai Meteorological Department forecasts heavy to very heavy rain in parts of the North and upper Northeast over the next 24 hours, with heavy rain in parts of the Central region, Eastern region and Bangkok. About 70% of Bangkok and its vicinity may see thunderstorms. Flash floods and landslides are possible near streams and low-lying areas. Sea waves of 2-3 m or more are expected in the Gulf and Andaman Sea, and small boats in the upper Andaman and upper Gulf should stay ashore. For your business: plan delivery and site work around flood-prone areas, move stock off the floor, and check that staff can get to work safely.

Diesel and gasohol prices today (21 Aug 2026): B7 up 0.85 baht, B20 at 33.39 Prachachat · Aug 21, 2026

Per Bangchak prices on 21 Aug 2026: B7 diesel 38.39 baht/litre (up 0.85 from yesterday), B20 33.39, Gasohol 95 37.69, Gasohol 91 37.32, E20 32.69, E85 28.63. Prices exclude Bangkok local land tax; new prices take effect 05:00 tomorrow. Check at your station, since prices can differ. For fleet, delivery or transport costs, budget with the higher diesel price and watch the B7 vs B20 gap when choosing fuel.

Big developers plan 78 launches worth 114.5 billion baht in H2 2026, so expect a busy construction and supplier market Prachachat · Aug 21, 2026

Six listed Thai property developers (AP, Sansiri, Supalai, Pruksa, SC Asset, Prau) booked 68,558 million baht revenue in H1 2026 and plan 78 new projects worth 114,530 million baht in H2. Pruksa is also expanding rental apartments (iPlern) and a Bangna warehouse, and SC Asset is growing its rental and hotel income. For a small contractor, materials supplier or service provider, this points to pipeline demand in H2 mainly in landed houses and townhouses, and in provincial and EEC locations. Sansiri flagged that 26,000 million baht of sales are still waiting to be recognised. Treat this as a demand signal for planning, not a guarantee of new orders.

The US Treasury Secretary says Washington will impose its toughest sanctions yet on Iran and wants China to cooperate. Without article text, the details are unclear; watch for effects on oil prices and shipping costs if you import fuel or goods.

Government's free TH-AI Passport goes live Aug 31, raising data-privacy questions for users Bangkok Post · Aug 21, 2026

The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society's TH-AI Passport gives free access to global and Thai AI models and goes live on Aug 31, with a target of five million registrations. Registration requires name, national ID, phone, education, occupation and income range, verified via ThaID. Some AI processing may happen abroad, though the government says contracts bar private firms from storing or reusing data for training. If your staff sign up, or you plan to use these free tools for business info, check what prompts are retained and who can access them before sharing sensitive company or financial details.

NBTC board deadlock stalls 52 urgent telecom and TV decisions Bangkok Post · Aug 21, 2026

The NBTC board has been unable to hold meetings for six straight sessions because some commissioners boycotted over a ruling against chairman Dr Sarana Boonbaichaiyapruck. Of 188 agenda items, 52 are urgent, including the digital TV roadmap, a proposed national streaming platform, and NT's plan on Thaicom 4 satellite capacity. The next scheduled meetings are Sept 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17 and 23. If your business depends on TV broadcasting, streaming, or satellite-linked telecom services, expect these decisions to slip. No action is needed this week beyond keeping an eye on the September meetings.

Government drafts overhaul of gun control law, cabinet review due mid-September Bangkok Post · Aug 21, 2026

Deputy PM Pakorn Nilprapunt says a sweeping amendment to the 1947 firearms law is expected before cabinet around mid-September after public consultation. Planned changes include linking licensing and registration systems, making gun dealers share oversight responsibility, and tighter regulation of shooting ranges. Most small businesses are unaffected unless they deal in firearms, ammunition, shooting or security equipment, in which case watch for new dealer duties. A possible amnesty for surrendering unregistered guns is also under consideration.

Government drafts overhaul of gun law, cabinet review due mid-September Bangkok Post · Aug 21, 2026

Deputy PM Pakorn Nilprapunt says sweeping amendments to the 1947 firearms law will reach cabinet around mid-September after public consultation. Gun dealers would share responsibility for oversight and shooting ranges face tighter rules, which matters only if your business sells, stores or runs ranges. A possible no-questions-asked surrender amnesty is under consideration; the buy-back proposal is still disputed. No direct cost or deadline for most SMEs yet.

Retailers ask government for Easy E-Receipt relaunch as spending weakens Bangkok Post · Aug 21, 2026

The Thai Retailers Association says weak purchasing power, driven by household debt at 85.9% of GDP (Q1 2026), is squeezing shops. It has asked the government to relaunch Easy E-Receipt, extend Thai Chuay Thai Plus, and widen welfare card eligibility. These are proposals only, with no decision yet. The TRA forecasts retail reaching 4.38 trillion baht in 2026 (+3%), with a Q4 rebound expected from tourism and the planned Thai Tiew Thai Plus campaign. Plan cautiously and watch for these schemes before adding stock or staff.

Northern floods push back trips to next month, so plan northern hotel and tour cover now Bangkok Post · Aug 21, 2026

Floods and landslides have hit several northern provinces, including Nan. Many upcoming trips have been postponed to next month, while forward bookings are still arriving as usual. Nan hotel room rates are expected to stay at last year's level because domestic spending is weak. Northern operators should check which bookings have moved, keep flexible booking terms, and watch flood alerts so they can prepare guests and staff early. Local lobbying for flood barriers and crop changes is a longer-term issue.

Community and toll-authority union ask the finance minister to review the Double Deck expressway deal Prachachat · Aug 20, 2026

Consumer council, affected communities and the Expressway Authority union petitioned Deputy PM and Finance Minister Ekniti to re-examine the Ngam Wongwan – Rama 9 double-deck expressway before the PPP committee approves it. Concerns: value for money, contract transparency (the union says it has not received the full contract), safety after the recent earthquake, and displacement of residents during construction. For a Thai SME this is a pending infrastructure decision, not an immediate change: watch for construction disruption and traffic diversion if you operate near Ngam Wongwan or Phra Ram 9 roads.

Civil groups ask finance minister to rethink the Double Deck expressway, citing cost and safety Prachachat · Aug 20, 2026

Consumer groups, Expressway Authority union and affected residents petitioned Deputy PM Ekniti Nitithanprapas, who chairs the PPP committee, to re-examine the Ngam Wong Wan – Rama 9 Double Deck expressway before approval. Concerns: contract transparency, a claimed ~35,000 million baht cost to the Expressway Authority, traffic relief of only 5–10%, construction safety and residents possibly having to relocate. The project is still under committee review, so nothing changes for businesses yet. Watch for construction disruption and traffic diversions along the Ngam Wong Wan – Rama 9 corridor if it proceeds.

Nan flood cuts PWA water supply in parts of Nan; check your water backup Prachachat · Aug 20, 2026

Floods in Nan province damaged a low-voltage pumping station at Ban Nam Khwang (Pua district), which is still offline. Pipes in Ban Rong were damaged and the water zone is blocked. Tha Wang Pha and Chiang Klang branches are running normally; Nan branch has weak or uneven pressure. The PWA urges households to keep a reasonable water reserve and call the Tha Wang Pha branch (0 5471 9744) if they have problems. Relevant if you operate in Nan, Pua or Phu Phiang and need to plan for water interruptions.

Bangkok probes 10 years of house-registration fraud tied to pink-card holders Prachachat · Aug 20, 2026

Bangkok Governor Chadchart ordered all district offices to re-check house-registration transfers going back to 2017, after suspected impersonation of foreign children and "phantom" family members. Four officials were removed from duty and preliminary district reports are due Friday, 21 August 2026. For a typical SME this is background: it touches registration and document checks, so expect stricter scrutiny of household-registry paperwork at Bangkok district offices, and keep your own staff and business registration records clean and up to date.

Microsoft is removing the Excel COPILOT() formula, so don't build workflows on it Blognone · Aug 20, 2026

Microsoft is removing the COPILOT() formula from Excel. It launched in August 2025 as a preview and will stop working permanently on 14 September 2026. Microsoft says the same tasks can be done with the Copilot button or the Excel sidebar. If your team has spreadsheets that call COPILOT(), move them to the sidebar or another method before that date. Otherwise, no action is needed.

Nan flood: government plans three-phase water supply repair for Phu Phiang district Prachachat · Aug 20, 2026

Deputy PM Yodchanan Wongsawat visited flood-hit Fai Kaeo subdistrict, Phu Phiang, Nan on 20 Aug 2026. Priorities: emergency drinking water now, replacement pumps and vocational students to repair damaged ones, and a later budget request to the Comptroller General's Department for new pumps. If your business or supplier operates in Nan, expect disrupted water, power and road access, and plan deliveries and stock around the Nan River bridge closure.

Thai rice is back at No. 1 in Malaysia's imports, with 2026 exports tipped above 700,000 tonnes Prachachat · Aug 20, 2026

Thailand supplied 327,995 tonnes, about 46%, of Malaysia's rice imports in the first half of 2026, ranking first. Officials expect the full year to pass 700,000 tonnes, the highest in over 20 years. Philippine imports of Thai rice rose 110% in six months to 295,939 tonnes, with a full-year forecast of at least 600,000. BERNAS praised Thai exporters for quality and on-time delivery. For rice exporters and millers, this is a demand signal for white rice and jasmine. Price competition from rivals is still a factor.