The Thai stock market has climbed higher in three straight trading days, advancing almost 50 points or 2.6 percent in that span. The Stock Exchange of Thailand now rests just above the 1,790-point plateau and it's looking at another green light for Friday.
The global forecast for the Asian markets is upbeat thanks to optimism ahead of today's job report from the United States, plus another bump in crude oil prices. The European and U.S. markets were up and the Asian bourses are expected to follow suit.
The SET finished modestly higher on Thursday following gains from the energy producers and cement companies, while the financials came in mixed.
For the day, the index climbed 12.49 points or 0.70 percent to finish at 1,791.02 after trading between 1,779.28 and 1,791.39. Volume was 13.110 billion shares worth 90.816 billion baht. There were 700 gainers and 632 decliners, with 365 stocks finishing unchanged.
Among the actives, Advanced Info dropped 1.27 percent, while Banpu surged 5.64 percent, Bangkok Medical added 0.48 percent, Bangkok Expressway tumbled 2.46 percent, Charoen Pokphand Foods skidded 1.21 percent, Kasikornbank jumped 2.11 percent, Krung Thai Bank advanced 1.55 percent, PTT spiked4.89 percent, PTT Exploration and Production soared 4.43 percent, PTT Global Chemical perked 3.77 percent, Siam Commercial Bank dipped 0.33 percent, Siam Concrete added 1.22 percent and Thailand Airport, Bangkok Bank and Bangchak Corporation were unchanged.
The lead from Wall Street is positive as stocks opened in the green on Thursday and stayed that way, allowing the major averages to again hit to fresh record closing highs.
The Dow climbed 152.45 points or 0.61 percent to 25,075.13, while the NASDAQ edged up 12.38 points or 0.18 percent to 7,077.91 and the S&P 500 rose 10.93 points or 0.40 percent to 2,723.99.
Early buying interest was generated when payroll processor ADP said private sector employment jumped more than expected in December. But then the Labor Department said initial jobless claims unexpectedly inched higher in the week ended December 30th.
Later today, the Labor Department is due to release its more closely watched monthly employment report for December.
Crude oil futures rose further Thursday as data confirmed another significant drop in U.S. oil inventories. February WTI oil climbed 38 cents or 0.6 percent to $62.01/bbl on Nymex, the highest in more than three years.
by RTT Staff Writer
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