Thai Stock Rally to Ease as Profit Growth Slows: Southeast Asia

Thailand’s benchmark stock index, the best performer among Asia’s major equity markets in 2012, will gain at less than half last year’s pace as corporate earnings growth slows, according to BBL Asset Management Co.

Stocks will offer returns close to companies’ average earnings growth of 15 percent in 2013, said Voravan Tarapoom, chief executive officer at the fund, which oversees about $7.5 billion of assets. The firm manages the BBL Bualuang Top-Ten Fund, which rallied 76 percent last year, making it the best performer among 196 equity funds based in Thailand, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.