Thailand: Die Wirtschaft schrumpft (WSJ)

Das Wall Street Journal bringt die Lage auf den Punkt:

"The country's economy -- Southeast Asia's second largest behind Indonesia -- contracted 4.3% in the fourth quarter compared with the year-earlier period, considerably worse than analysts expected. The government slashed its 2009 forecast to between 0% and a negative 1% contraction, from earlier projections of 3% to 4% growth, meaning Thailand will almost certainly enter a recession this year."

Dabei handele es sich nicht um einen Einmal-Effekt, etwas in Folge der politischen Krise im Winter:

"In Thailand, some analysts noted that the recent contraction reflected one-time losses from November and December, when antigovernment protesters shut down the country's main airport and blocked tourist arrivals. But Mr. Pietersz at J.P. Morgan says the key culprit was a nearly 9% drop in exports in the quarter. That problem accelerated in January, when exports tumbled 26.5% from a year earlier. Thai officials have said manufacturers could cut as many as 100,000 jobs this year as exports fade."