BANGKOK: Thailand's customs-cleared exports rose 24.3% in August from a year earlier, the commerce ministry said on Friday, just below analysts' expectations.
* The August reading compared with a forecast rise of 24.9% in a Reuters poll, and followed an increase of 21.6% the previous month.
* Imports rose 25.1% in August from a year earlier.
* Thailand recorded a trade deficit of $2.48 billion in August, compared with a forecast of a $3.9 billion deficit.
* August shipments to the United States, Thailand's largest market, jumped 48.7% from a year earlier, while exports to China rose 15.5%, the ministry said.
* Thai exports were seen rising until the end of the year, supported by demand for electronics tied to global AI trends, Natiya Suchinda, deputy head of the ministry's Trade Policy and Strategy Office, told a media briefing.
* Exports could expand 15% this year, Natiya said. - Reuters
