Rising costs, global risks hit sentiment
A woman dusts a used car at a Bangkok showroom. Mr Thanavath says consumers feel uncertain about their job security, leading to reduced spending on major purchases such as cars, homes and travel. (Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb)
Business and consumer confidence indices dropped for the second consecutive month in April, primarily due to concerns about the Middle East conflict and oil shock disrupting various sectors, according to the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC).The Thai Chamber of Commerce confidence index fell from 43.3 in March to 42.2 in April.
Key factors weighing on confidence include concerns about the conflict, higher energy prices, rising production costs, decreasing prices of certain agricultural products and the downgrade of Thai GDP growth.
The consumer confidence index dropped to 50.6 in April, the lowest level since September 2025, due to concerns about the war and elevated oil prices that erode Thai economic growth and living costs.
