Thailand yet to decide on whether it will lift internal debt ceiling - FinMin

BY Reuters | ECONOMIC | 01:33 PM EDT

April 15 (Reuters) - Thailand has not yet decided whether it will increase its internal ceiling on a key debt ratio, Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas said on Wednesday.

Nitithanprapas, who is also the deputy prime minister, said the 70% for public debt-to-GDP was an internal ceiling.

"We still put fiscal discipline under core function of fiscal policy," the minister said during a panel discussion at the International Monetary Fund-World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington.

"But given the crisis at the moment, frankly speaking, we are working into details, whether we should internally increase the ceiling."

The question of what any additional money would be used for was also being debated, he said.

"In my opinion, we have to use it to for the transitions and transformations, like things that we have discussed, transition from oil dependencies to renewable energy, and also to upgrade people to help vulnerable groups of people to upgrade their skills, so that that's the things that we are considering." (Reporting by Karin Strohecker in London; editing by Rodrigo Campos)

In general the bond market is volatile, and fixed income securities carry interest rate risk. (As interest rates rise, bond prices usually fall, and vice versa. This effect is usually more pronounced for longer-term securities.) Fixed income securities also carry inflation risk and credit and default risks for both issuers and counterparties. Unlike individual bonds, most bond funds do not have a maturity date, so avoiding losses caused by price volatility by holding them until maturity is not possible.

Lower-quality debt securities generally offer higher yields, but also involve greater risk of default or price changes due to potential changes in the credit quality of the issuer. Any fixed income security sold or redeemed prior to maturity may be subject to loss.

Before investing, consider the funds' investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses. Contact Fidelity for a prospectus or, if available, a summary prospectus containing this information. Read it carefully.

fir_news_article