Crossamerica partners credit rating

Foreign tourists are seen through a tuk-tuk's windshield along Khao San Road in Bangkok. (AFP photo) Fitch Ratings has affirmed Thailand's credit rating at "BBB+" with a stable outlook, which is acceptable to the government, says government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana. Fitch affirmed Thailand's long-term foreign-currency issuer default rating at "BBB+" with a stable outlook, according to a release on June 21. Thailand's ratings are underpinned by the country's sustained external financial strength and strong macroeconomic policy framework, said Fitch. The ratings reflect weaker structural features relative to its BBB peers, including lower per capita income and World Bank governance scores, said the ratings firm. Moreover, medium-term prospects for growth and fiscal consolidation are constrained by adverse demographic factors and potential scarring from the pandemic. Fitch forecasts Thailand's economy will expand by 3.2% in 2022, up from 1.5% in 2021, bolstered by … [Read more...] about Fitch keeps Thai credit rating BBB+

Recap: Global stocks moved higher on Friday, heading for their first weekly gain in a month after fears of an economic recession, while inflation eased on declines in commodity prices. The SET index moved in a range of 1,549.98 and 1,576.05 points this week before closing yesterday at 1,568.76 points, up 0.6% from the previous week, in daily turnover averaging 62 billion baht. Institutional investors were net buyers of 8.05 billion baht, while retail investors bought 3.37 billion. Foreign investors were net sellers of 11 billion baht. Brokerage firms offloaded 401 million baht worth of shares. Newsmakers: The US economy is strong but faces an "uncertain" global environment and could see further inflation "surprises," Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday. A recession in the US is not "inevitable," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Sunday, just days after the US Federal Reserve hiked interest rates, raising fears of an economic contraction. A … [Read more...] about A brief upturn in a punishing month for stocks

Collision over cannabis Anutin: 'Don't politicise ganja' Two of the brightest stars in politics were on a collision course last week, which had observers speculating on the possibility of one plotting to upstage or even undermine the other. The delisting of cannabis as a narcotic has catapulted Anutin Charnvirakul to stardom, not only as public health minister but as leader of second-biggest coalition partner, the Bhumjaithai Party. As public health minister, he has pushed for cannabis to be decriminalised to allow people to capitalise on its medicinal properties and for research purposes. Also, he prides himself as being a leader of a political party able to overcome the unthinkable -- removing cannabis from the narcotics list -- which was adopted as Bhumjaithai's flagship campaign promise and dismissed by most people from the outset as wishful thinking. However, decriminalisation has come with a chorus of warnings from medical professionals about the dangers of … [Read more...] about Collision over cannabis

Home Four wheelers oi-Athul By Athul Published: Friday, June 24, 2022, 15:55 [IST] Mahindra recently bagged the Safer Choice award from Global-NCAP and the news is spreading like a wildfire in the Indian automotive community. Moreover, the demand for safer cars has been increasing due to increased awareness among new car buyers due to successful campaigning regarding the importance of automobile safety. So, here's the list of the top 5 safest cars that you can buy in India, and it is also worth mentioning that all five cars in this list are manufactured by Indian car manufacturers. Tata Punch Taking the top spot in this list is the Tata Punch. It is a micro-SUV manufactured by Tata Motors and it is currently the safest car in India with 16.45 points out of 17 for adult protection and a 5-Star safety rating from the Global-NCAP. Diving into other details, the micro-SUV also scored 40.89 points out … [Read more...] about Top 5 Safest Cars In India: June 2022

Shipping companies are transforming rust buckets into gold mines in a modern-day alchemy that could fuel already rampant inflation for years to come. The disruption to world trade caused by pandemic lockdowns and a shortage of new cargo vessels has pushed freight rates for ageing container ships to record highs. Cashing in on the boom, shipping firms are locking in long-term leases lasting three to four years, which means consumers could carry on paying the price for the surge in costs until hundreds of new ships on order come into service. Take the Synergy Oakland, a mid-sized vessel flagged in Cyprus that can carry more than 4,200 20-foot steel containers. Greek firm Euroseas bought it in 2019 for $10 million when it was already a decade old. As world trade spiralled into chaos last year, it raked in $21 million in just over 100 days at the highest daily freight rate in history for a ship of its size. It squeezed in one more short-term charter earning around $10 million in … [Read more...] about Old Is Gold: Sky-High Cost Of Ageing Ships Sounds Inflation SOS

Lucas Mateu is the co-founder and CEO of Vent Finance, a community crowdfunding platform for blockchain projects. He sat down with Jessica Abo to explain how Vent works and why people call his company the Kickstarter of crypto. Jessica Abo: Lucas, tell us about your company. Lucas Mateu: Vent Finance is a multi-chain launchpad and accelerator. It's a platform run on the Web3 space that takes projects and brings them to interested investors. It allows us to take the complexity of building tokens and taking them to market and dilute them into a very, very simple to understand concept and platform to acquire and purchase these tokens. We work with all types of projects from games, to platforms, crypto tokens, and anything that you can think out there. And we make sure that they have the right metrics, the right technology, to be able to come to the market. Your company sounds like it's the Kickstarter of crypto. Is that how you think about it? Mateu: That is the core of … [Read more...] about ‘Like the Kickstarter of Crypto’: This Company Launched a Crowdfunding Platform for Blockchain Projects

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 47 Eight miles up the Eastex Freeway from downtown Houston, City Acre Brewing lolls amid garden plots and picnic tables beneath spreading, venerable pecans. Inside a red metal shed with roll-up garage doors lurks a classic brewpub, selling beer brewed on the premises to go with a menu geared to match. If last week’s Burger Friday subject — the new beer garden at St. Arnold Brewing Company —was all about a grand new urban space, City Acre is about one of those idiosyncratic, semi-rural pockets that lurk in the Houston landscape. It’s a beer garden writ small and personal. And they make a burger you’ll want to mark off on your … [Read more...] about Burger Friday: City Acre Brewing

Traveller walk in the departure hall at Hong Kong International Airport amid the coronavirus pandemic in Hong Kong on March 21, 2022. (Reuters photo) HONG KONG: Hong Kong should aim for a quarantine-free business travel corridor as a precursor to a full-scale reopening of its borders, as the city's reconnection with mainland China and other parts of the world is ranked high among Beijing's priorities, government advisers have said. To achieve that, the incoming administration under Chief Executive-designate John Lee should fight for more flexible rules during negotiations on border reopening, analysts and medical experts added. The State Council's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) on Sunday laid out five expectations for Lee's team, including tackling pressing issues such as the border reopening and strengthening the city's role as "an international hub connecting the mainland and the world". In response, Executive Council members Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee and Jeffrey Lam … [Read more...] about Hong Kong could start quarantine-free business travel corridor with China, advisers urge

IATA's 78th Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit hosted by Qatar Airways took place from June 19-21 in Doha, Qatar. The aviation industry is finally seeing signs of optimism as it tries to rebound from a major crisis, although the recovery path appears to be uneven across the globe, particularly in Asia-Pacific as a result of remaining restrictions. The restrictions are hampering a region that still lags the rest of the world in terms of aviation activity, said Philip Goh, regional vice-president for Asia-Pacific at the International Air Transport Association (IATA). According to IATA, Asia-Pacific has started to see an uptick in international passenger demand, which tallied more than 20% of the level in 2019 in April following further easing of travel restrictions. "The trend of revenge travel is not just a short-term one as demand will remain, while the high oil prices we face today will eventually go away," Mr Goh said. If momentum continues to grow from … [Read more...] about Aviation industry upbeat on outlook for H2