Road Shows In Mid-East More Successful Than Expected, Says SET

Recent road shows by the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) to give investors in the Middle East information on Thailand’s economic conditions at present and its outlook produced a more positive result than expected, according to SET Executive Vice President Santi Keeranant.

He revealed the exchange made the road shows in Dubai and Abu Dabhi of the United Arab Emirates, Doha of Qatar, and Kuwait City of Kuwait between October 10 and16.

During the road shows, exchange officials met 18 institutional investors with assets worth over US$500 billion under their management.

They include eight mutual funds, three Islamic banks, five commercial banks, and two national wealth funds.

Mr Santi said the exchange provided Middle Eastern investors with information on Thailand’s economic conditions at current and its outlook, investment opportunities and potential, product data which meets Islamic principles, and financial instruments.

The road shows drew a more positive response than projected. It is a starting point for expanding the institutional investor base in the Middle East countries.

He said that institutional investors there prefer studying information carefully and prudently before making an investment decision.

Key issues to which the investors paid attention and questioned most include transparency, investor protection, and related taxes.