The new SOS: survival, opportunity and specialisation
Thai business executives looking at their 2009 business plans with trepidation should cry SOS, says Pakorn Malakul Na Ayudhya, the chairman of the Stock Exchange of Thailand.

The worst is yet to come
These are heady times for securities analysts. During the darkest days of September and October, the financial markets moved with a volatility never seen before, while the global financial system and debt markets teetered on the brink of collapse.

Crisis exposes flaws of laissez-faire
Looking for parallels between the Tom Yum Kung crisis a decade ago and today's "Hamburger'' crisis? Greed, says Nattapol Chavalitcheevin.

Markets in a holding pattern
Rising unemployment and slowing consumption are inevitable with the global economic slowdown, according to Kampanart Lohachareonvanich, the chairman of the Association of Securities Companies.

Derivatives still have a role to play
Nitus Patrayotin pauses and his eyes take on a thoughtful expression when he considers the future.

Prudence will pay off
To grasp the size and scope of the Hamburger crisis, consider this: one decade ago, during the Asian economic crisis, regional banks wrote off an estimated $50 billion for bad loans.

Governance matters more than ever
The tenets of good corporate governance could arguably be at the bottom of the priority list for some businesses facing the challenges of a global recession.

You can’t win if you’re not in
It's been a horrific year for fund managers, with local equity funds losing half their total value, but there is little evidence 2009 will prove any better for the global markets.

The pursuit of certainty
While almost three quarters of financial institutions were forced into liquidation during Thailand's 1997 economic crisis, the majority of local insurers escaped the crisis unscathed, except for the financially troubled firms Rattanakosin and Commercial Insurance.