Exports rose for a fourth straight month in June, beating expectations, due to stronger demand from major markets, suggesting the economy was gaining momentum.
Customs-cleared shipments rose 11.7% in June from a year earlier after May's 12.7% rise, commerce ministry data showed on Thursday. A Reuters poll expected an annual rise of 7.85% in May.
Exports of computers and parts rose 18.9% in June from a year earlier, while shipments of cars, car parts and accessories declined 2.5%.
In January-June, exports rose 7.8% from a year earlier, Pimchanok Vonkhorporn, an official at the Commerce Ministry, said at a briefing.
Exports, worth about two-thirds of the economic output, are just recovering after years of weakness. The ministry has forecast exports will rise 5% this year after a 0.5% gain last year, the first annual growth in four years.
Imports in June increased 13.7% from a year earlier, compared with the forecast of an 11.2% increase.
A trade surplus of $1.92 billion was seen in June, compared with a poll forecast of a $1.3-billion surplus.
Many of the materials Thailand imports are assembled into completed goods and shipped out again.