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Thai EV output set to jump, sparking a price war in a bruised market

BANGKOK -Thailand is bracing for an extended EV price war triggered by a surge in local production from Chinese car makers, a move likely to deal a further blow to a domestic auto industry already struggling with tumbling sales, industry experts said. Electric vehicle sales in Thailand, Southeast Asia's largest EV market, are forecast to jump 40% this year, exceeding 100,000 units and reversing a 8% drop in sales last year, Suroj Sangsnit, president of Electric Vehicle Association of Thailand (EVAT), told Reuters. The programme, which also includes price subsidies of up to 150,000 baht ($4,400), helped Southeast Asia's second-largest economy become the region's biggest EV market, which registered 70,000 new EVs last year.

BOJ’s Ueda Voices Confidence on Rate Hike Messaging to Market

(Bloomberg) -- The Bank of Japan’s message on gradual interest hikes has been clearly received by financial markets, Governor Kazuo Ueda said, adding that more hikes will take place if its economic outlook is realized. Most Read from BloombergHow the 2025 Catholic Jubilee Is Reshaping RomeManhattan’s Morning Commute Time Drops With New Congestion TollTrump Paves the Way to Deputize Local Police on ImmigrationHousing Aid Uncertain After Trump’s Spending Freeze MemoTrump's Federal Funding Pause Th

Trump is getting the lower interest rates he demanded from everyone but the Fed

U.S. President Donald Trump is getting his wish that interest rates drop across the world, just not at home where a strong economy and uncertainty over his own policies have set the stage for the Federal Reserve to diverge from its central bank peers. The European Central Bank cut rates on Thursday, the Bank of Canada did as well on Wednesday, and the Bank of England is likely to do so next week – steps that, with the Fed in a holding pattern on rates, could strengthen the value of the dollar and further complicate Trump's trade goals by making imports cheaper and U.S. exports more expensive. ECB President Christine Lagarde noted on Thursday that renewed trade tensions could even put more pressure on lagging euro zone growth, a potential argument for even lower rates in the 20-nation bloc.