Thai stock exchange suspends trading after index dives 10 pct - UPDATE
12.19.06, 12:22 AM ET
BANGKOK (XFN-ASIA) - The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) said it has suspended trading for 30 minutes after the benchmark index fell over 10 pct following the introduction of sharp curbs on foreign fund inflows.
The SET composite index plunged 73.80 points to 656.75 around 11:30 am, the biggest one day drop since mid-1997 when the nation was engulfed by the Asian financial crisis.
Since the opening, investors dumped shares after the Bank of Thailand late last night ordered banks to lock up 30 pct of any new foreign currency deposits above 20,000 usd for a year in a bid to curb the baht's rise.
The central bank's move was the most stringent of recently imposed measures made in an attempt to control its currency which has risen sharply to a nine-year high, levels not seen since before the Asian financial crisis erupted.
12.19.06, 12:22 AM ET
BANGKOK (XFN-ASIA) - The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) said it has suspended trading for 30 minutes after the benchmark index fell over 10 pct following the introduction of sharp curbs on foreign fund inflows.
The SET composite index plunged 73.80 points to 656.75 around 11:30 am, the biggest one day drop since mid-1997 when the nation was engulfed by the Asian financial crisis.
Since the opening, investors dumped shares after the Bank of Thailand late last night ordered banks to lock up 30 pct of any new foreign currency deposits above 20,000 usd for a year in a bid to curb the baht's rise.
The central bank's move was the most stringent of recently imposed measures made in an attempt to control its currency which has risen sharply to a nine-year high, levels not seen since before the Asian financial crisis erupted.
