Thai Stocks, Baht Slide as Investors Withdraw on Currency Curbs

Thai stocks plunged after regulators yesterday told banks to lock up 30 percent of new foreign- currency deposits for a year to curb speculation. The baht dropped the most in three years.

The benchmark Stock Exchange of Thailand index slid as much as 8.9 percent, the heaviest in more than three years, and the baht almost doubled yesterday's 0.8 percent drop after central bank Governor Tarisa Watanagase said she was ``confident'' the measures will reduce inflows. The currency, Asia-Pacific's best performer, had surged 16 percent this year before yesterday as overseas investors bought the nation's stocks.

``Foreign investors will rush to take money out as they're afraid the baht may weaken further,'' said Visit Tantisuthorn, Secretary General of the Government Pension Fund, the country' biggest fund with more than $7.8 billion in assets. ``It'll help exporters and the country's trade balance.''

The baht climbed this year to a nine-year high yesterday amid optimism the economy will accelerate after a Sept. 19 coup ended a political deadlock that curbed spending and confidence. Exporters including Thai Union Frozen Products Pcl, the world's second-biggest tuna canner, on Nov. 16 asked the central bank to stem baht gains that are undermining their competitiveness.

The baht lost as much as 1.5 percent, the biggest fluctuation of any currency today, to 36.08 against the dollar. It traded at 35.66 at 10:03 a.m. in Bangkok. It last fell more on Sept. 14, 2003. The Stock Exchange of Thailand index slid the most since February 2003.

Lock Up

Starting today, overseas investors buying the baht will only be able to invest 70 percent of what they transfer and recoup all of their funds if they keep the money in Thailand for more than a year. Those who withdraw the reserved amount in less than a year will be fined 33 percent of that 30 percent portion.

A stronger baht hands overseas investors greater capital returns when they convert proceeds from sales back to dollars or their own currencies. China's yuan has added 3.1 percent against the dollar this year, Malaysia's ringgit has gained 6.3 percent and Singapore's dollar has climbed 7.9 percent.

``It's basically as if they're putting a tax on any trades less than a year,'' said Magnus Prim, a senior foreign-exchange strategist at Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken in Singapore. ``It's going to stop any buying pressure and with the stock market likely to be hit, we could see the baht falling some more.''

A rising baht hurts exporters by cutting the value of their local currency-denominated profits and making their products more expensive compared with those of Asian rivals.

A military coup on Sept. 19 ousted prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and ended seven months of political turmoil. Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont, installed by the military junta after the coup, is planning record spending on roads, subways and other infrastructure projects.