(SET) President, Mr. Kittiratt Na-Ranong, announced that the Finance Ministry, the SET, and Merrill Lynch Phatra Securities would jointly host the "Thailand Stock Market Roadshow" from January 21-25, 2003 in London and New York. The roadshow aims to present information about the state of the Thai economy, investment in the stock market, developments in the capital market, and the attractions of Thai equities as part of the SET's plan to increase the investor base. The Finance Minister, His Excellency Dr. Somkid Jatusripitak, will lead the team, supported by the management of the Ministry of Finance (MoF), SET as well as that of twelve listed companies including the TOT Corporation Public Company Limited.
"This trip aims to provide complete information on the economy and investment opportunities to key institutional investors in the UK and the US such as Schroders, Slaone Robertson, Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Asset Management and Credit Suisse Asset Management. Moreover, the group will meet with top executives from leading industries such as Tesco, Holcim, Barclay and Ford. After informing foreign investors about the current strength of the local economy, we believe that they will recognize the attractive returns combined with low risks that Thai equities offer. His Excellency the Finance Minister will give a keynote address to foreign investors, both in the UK and the US. The speech will highlight the government's economic development policy which will help boost the investors' confidence." the SET President said.
Apart from institutional investors, the Finance Minister and management team will also meet with executives of the London Stock Exchange, the Bank of England, members of the House of Lords, as well as London's Mayor. While in the U.S, the Finance Minister will also be given the honor of sounding the bell marking the opening of the New York Stock Exchange on Friday, January 24.
The companies that will join in the roadshow are CP Food Plc, Shin Corporation Plc, Major Cineplex Group Plc, Land and House Plc, PTT Plc, Noble Development Plc, Bangkok Bank Plc, National Finance Plc, Thai International Airways Plc, BEC World Plc, Ratchaburi Generation Holding Plc, and Bangkok Expressway Plc. These companies will distribute information on their past performance as well as their future plans to the management of asset management funds, other fund managers, and leading institutional investors in the UK, Europe, and the US, in both group and individual discussions.
"Moreover, the team, led by the Finance Ministry's Permanent Secretary, the Securities Exchange Commission's Secretary General, Government Pension Fund's Secretary General, the Institute of Accountant and Auditor of Thailand's President, and the Bank of Thailand's Assistant Governor, will present information on Thailand's corporate governance policies. Together they will discuss these policies, their implementation, as well as the campaign to instill good corporate governance policies in Thai companies to ensure transparency, honesty, and to make sure suitable auditing mechanisms are in place. In addition, the team will talk about Thailand's legal amendments to support corporate governance, along with measures to guarantee shareholders' rights. These factors will lead to heightened confidence among both foreign and local investors," Mr. Kittiratt said.
"This roadshow comes at an opportune time when Thailand's economy has started to recover, listed companies in almost every sector have shown good performance, and external factors are having less of an impact on the Thai stock market. The team is confident this roadshow will be a good start for attracting the interest of foreign investors to the Thai stock market and will lead to a very successful outcome," the President concluded.
