- SET Index: 1,523.1 (+0.03%), 16 Feb 2020
- S&P 500 Index: 3,932.6 (-0.06%), 16 Feb 2020
- Thai 10-year government bond yield: 1.36 (+0.00 bps), 16 Feb 2020
- US 10-year treasury yield: 1.30% (+10.00 bps), 16 Feb 2020
- White House health advisor slightly delays timeline for widespread vaccine availability in the U.S. to May
- Southeast Asia would choose the U.S. over China if forced to pick sides, survey shows
- UK could give two doses of COVID vaccine to all adults by September, task force says
- Dollar hits four-month high against yen as yields jump on inflation bets
White House health advisor slightly delays timeline for widespread vaccine availability in the U.S. to May
Most Americans will have access to a Covid-19 vaccine by mid- to late May or early June, White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Tuesday. The infectious disease expert had previously forecast the lifesaving drugs would be widely available to the general public by late March or early April. So far, distribution of the vaccines has been limited to workers in essential industries, those age 65 and older and those with underlying health conditions, depending on the state. However, Fauci said the federal government was expecting “considerably more” initial doses from Johnson & Johnson.
Southeast Asia would choose the U.S. over China if forced to pick sides, survey shows
Southeast Asia’s support for the U.S. appeared to increase after Joe Biden won the presidential election, according to an annual survey by ISEAS Yusof-Ishak Institute. The State of Southeast Asia survey released last week found that 61.5% of respondents favor aligning with the U.S. over China if the region was forced to pick sides. That’s an increase from 53.6% who chose the U.S. over China in the same survey a year ago. Despite that, the greatest proportion of survey respondents chose China — over the U.S., ASEAN and others — as the most influential power in Southeast Asia. Around 76.3% of respondents picked China as the most influential economic power.
UK could give two doses of COVID vaccine to all adults by September, task force says
The United Kingdom could give two doses of COVID-19 vaccine to all adults by August or September, helped by its portfolio approach of buying from several different producers, the interim head of the country’s vaccine taskforce told Sky News on Tuesday. Britain has vaccinated 15.6 million people with a first dose and 546,165 with a second dose, the fastest roll-out per capita of any large country so far. More vaccines would be approved for use in the “very near future”, providing enough shots in case there were any production issues from existing suppliers AstraZeneca and Pfizer.
Dollar hits four-month high against yen as yields jump on inflation bets
The benchmark government bond yield (LB29DA, 8.8 years) on the previous trading day was 1.36, +0.00 bps. Thai benchmark government bond yield (LB29DA) could be between 1.34-1.38. Meantime, the latest closed US 10-year bond yields was 1.30%, +10.00bps. USDTHB on the previous trading day closed around 29.88 Moving in a range from 29.95-29.98 this morning. USDTHB could be between 29.95-30.01 today. Meantime, The dollar advanced on Wednesday, hitting a four-month high against the yen as U.S. bond yields jumped on the prospects of further economic recovery and a possible acceleration in inflation.
Sources : Bloomberg, CNBC, Investing, CEIC
