The Thai stock market has moved higher now in consecutive trading days, collecting almost 20 points or 1.8 percent in the process. The Stock Exchange of Thailand finished just below the 1,120-point plateau, and now analysts are forecasting mild consolidation at the opening of trade on Friday.
The global forecast for the Asian markets is cautious following an unexpected interest rate cut from China, which raised some questions about the strength of the world's second largest economy. And in the U.S., the Labor Department reported a drop in initial jobless claims - but comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke were disappointing as he made no explicit reference to further easing measures. The European markets were higher and the U.S. bourses were mixed, and the Asian markets are expected to follow the latter example.
The SET finished barely higher on Thursday, nudged into the green by gains from the financial sector.
For the day, the index added 0.58 points or 0.05 percent to finish at 1,118.53 after trading between 1,114.84 and 1,134.61. Volume was 4.553 billion shares worth 26.289 billion baht. There were 301 decliners and 202 gainers, with 143 stocks finishing unchanged.
Among the actives, energy giant PTT was flat, while PTT Global Chemicals added 0.91 percent, Kasikornbank jumped 2.40 percent, Bangkok Bank climbed 2.33 percent and Siam Commercial Bank added 0.37 percent.
The lead from Wall Street suggests mild consolidation as stocks turned in a lackluster performance on Thursday after failing to sustain an early upward move. Notable selling pressure emerged in the final hour of trading, however, resulting in a mixed close for the markets.
The initial support was partly due to a positive reaction to a surprise interest rate cut by China's central bank. The move backed up recent optimism about further stimulus from the world's central banks, although it also raised some questions about the strength of the Chinese economy.
The markets also benefited from a report from the Labor Department showing a drop in initial jobless claims in the week ended June 2. But stocks pulled back well off their highs as Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke began to testify before the Joint Economic Committee in Washington.
Bernanke said that U.S. economic growth appears poised to continue at a moderate pace and suggested that last week's disappointing jobs report may have reflected temporary factors. While Bernanke said that Fed "remains prepared to take action" if the economic situation worsens, he made no explicit reference to further easing measures.
Meanwhile, traders largely shrugged off news that Fitch cut Spain's credit rating by three notches to BBB with a negative outlook.
The major averages ended the day on opposite sides of the unchanged line as the Dow climbed 46.17 points or 0.4 percent to finish at 12,460.96, while the NASDAQ fell 13.70 points or 0.5 percent to end at 2,831.02 and the S&P 500 edged down 0.14 points or less than a tenth of a percent to 1,314.99.
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Market Analysis
June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.