Thai industrial sentiment rises for a second straight month in July
PUBLISHED : 19 Aug 2026 at 12:08
Thailand’s industrial sentiment index rose for a second straight month in July due to strong electric vehicle (EV) sales and government support measures, the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) reported on Wednesday.
The federation’s industrial sentiment index rose to 90.0 in July from 88.2 in June.
The government in June rolled out a 176-billion-baht (US$5.3 billion) consumer subsidy scheme to ease the cost of living, under a wider 400-billion-baht borrowing plan to address the impact of higher oil prices.
The three-month outlook improved to 96.1 on expectations of lower power costs and increased activity from Thailand’s hosting of IMF-World Bank meetings in October, the FTI said.
A surge in EV sales, stronger government spending and higher exports of non-durable goods supported confidence, it said.
Headwinds remained from US tariffs, weaker tourism and rising bad loans among small businesses, according to the federation.
Manufacturers also flagged Middle East tensions and weaker exports to the region as risks to the outlook, it said.
Thailand’s economy grew 1.9% in the second quarter as the state-planning agency revised its 2026 outlook to 2.0% to 2.5% from 1.5% to 2.5%.
The government is working on a $700 million EV plan to replace up to 80,000 vehicles as part of its energy transition efforts.
Source – Bangkok News
