After the Thai military assumed control of the government, the Thailand exchange traded fund jumped this month, with Thai stocks pushing back into bull market territory.
Since the end of May, the iShares MSCI Thailand Capped ETF (NYSEArca: THD) has gained 6.3%. THD is up 25.9% since the January 3 low.
The benchmark Stock Exchange of Thailand SET Index closed 1,471.85 Monday as energy and utility stocks led gains, crossing into bull market after rallying from the 1,224.62 low on Jan. 3, Bloomberg reports.
Thai stocks have outperformed other Southeast Asian markets since May 22 when the army took over. The junta has revealed plans to increase infrastructure spending, including a project ruled unconstitutional under former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s administration. [Thailand ETF Still Offers Upside]
Investors are “optimistic the restoration of political stability will revive domestic consumption and investments,” Prinn Panitchpakdi, CLSA Ltd.’s country manager for Thailand, said in the article. “With this improving outlook, the SET Index (SET) has a good chance of testing the record level that it reached before the 1997 crisis.”
According to a private industry group, Thailand’s economy could expand between 2% and 2.5% this year on the recovery in local consumption and increase in government spending after the coup.
“This week, investors should closely watch the National Council for Peace and Order decision toward the 2015 budget, especially the 450 billion baht investment of dual-tracking and mass transit,” broker Maybank Kim for Eng Securities said in a Reuters article.
The financial sector is the largest component in THD, accounting for 34.3% of the portfolio, followed by energy 17.1%, materials 9.7% and telecom 8.5%.
iShares MSCI Thailand Capped ETF
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Max Chen contributed to this article.