Thailand: BOT’s pivot to broader measures – UOB

FXStreet Insights Team FXStreet

UOB's report by Enrico Tanuwidjaja and Sathit Talaengsatya discusses the Bank of Thailand's (BOT) shift from solely using interest rates to a broader policy framework. The BOT aims to address structural economic issues such as low productivity and high inequality while maintaining an accommodative interest rate policy. The report anticipates a final 25bps cut in February 2026, bringing the policy rate to 1.00%, which is expected to be sustained through 2026-27.

BOT's strategic policy adjustments

"FX becomes a more operational domain, not just a communications domain. The BOT has raised concerns about baht appreciation and non-fundamental flows, including gold-linked flows that can at times be large relative to daily FX turnover (e.g., reaching 20% in some periods). The BOT also explicitly highlights the baht’s strength (e.g., about 8% appreciations against USD since early 2025) and its willingness to intervene if moves are too fast, alongside tighter measures on gold-related FX activity."

"In our baseline, we expect the MPC to keep policy accommodative and deliver one final 25bps cut at the 25 Feb 2026 meeting—after the 4Q25/full-year 2025 GDP release (we forecast 2025 growth at 2.0%). This would take the policy rate to 1.00%, which we think is likely to be maintained through 2026–27."

"That said, the BOT is likely to keep interest rate policy accommodative for longer but will be reluctant to entrench a permanently-low-rate regime given repeated emphasis on financial stability and preserving policy space."

(This article was created with the help of an Artificial Intelligence tool and reviewed by an editor.)

Author

FXStreet Insights Team

FXStreet

The FXStreet Insights Team is a group of journalists that handpicks selected market observations published by renowned experts. The content includes notes by commercial as well as additional insights by internal and external analysts.

GBP/USD slides below 1.3250 after failing to break through 23.6% Fibo

The GBP/USD pair meets with a fresh supply during the Asian session on Wednesday and moves away from a nearly two-week high around the 1.3275 region, touched the previous day. Spot prices currently trade around the 1.3235 zone, down 0.20% for the day, as traders look to speeches from Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey and Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh for a fresh impetus.

EUR/USD tests daily lows near 1.1380; focus on ECB Forum

EUR/USD remains under pressure below 1.1400 on Wednesday amid extra gains in the US Dollar. In addition, softer-than-expected inflation data in Germany and the Euroland fuel expectations of a less aggressive ECB, contributing to the downside mood.

Gold clings to daily gains beyond $4,000 ahead of Warsh

Gold manages to regain composure and advance past the key $4,000 per troy ounce on Wednesday, reversing two daily drops in a row. The yellow metal’s decent bounce comes despite uncertainty surrounding Iran and growing expectations of a Fed rate hike continue to support the Greenback for now.

ISM Manufacturing PMI expected to signal continued expansion in the US

Attention shifts to Wednesday’s release of the June ISM Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index, one of the most closely followed indicators of activity in the US manufacturing sector and an important barometer of the broader economy. Markets expect the headline index to remain unchanged at 54.

Kevin Warsh isn't expected to say much in Sintra: That's exactly why markets will listen

Financial markets could find an important catalyst in the enchanting, fairytale-like landscape of Sintra this week. The European Central Bank Forum will, as it does every year, gather the crème de la crème of central banks. The new boss at the Federal Reserve, who has clearly said that the Fed should stop explaining everything, will need to talk – and traders should listen.

Just like Fed, is BoJ’s independence under threat?

When talking about central bank independence, most of the focus has been on Donald Trump’s pressure on the Federal Reserve. But a similar story, a quieter one for now, seems to be happening on the other side of the Pacific: Japan’s government may be testing the Bank of Japan’s independence.