Supaluck put the fruit of long experience into making newly opened Siam Paragon a magnet for big spenders at home and abroad.

FLAT-SCREEN TVS: LCD starting to outshine plasma

Manufacturers point to reduced price gap, improved picture quality and practical sizes for shift to rival technology. Consumer-electronics companies are betting on whether plasma or LCD will be the flat-panel TV of the future. Pioneer, a big manufacturer of plasma, said advantages of plasma were a wide screen (42-70 inches), sharp contrast and edge sharpness of moving pictures. Above all, plasma is cheaper than LCD.

Wangkanai goes natural in major brand revamp

Wangkanai Sugar Co Ltd is revamping its Wang Kanai brand and emphasising naturally grown sugar to stay among the top three companies in the country and to expand its market to Asia.

BOT chief says rates rising at the right pace

The periodic rounds of rate hikes by banks reflect the efficient transfer of monetary policy to the economy, the central bank chief said last week.

Steel Intertech to debut on the MAI

Steel Intertech Plc, a manufacturer and distributor of high-quality roll-formed metal sheets, will be listed on Thailand’s Market for Alternative Investment (MAI) tomorrow, using STEEL as its trading symbol.

KTB intends to increase stake in Trinity Securities to 40 per cent, but no date set

Krung Thai Bank (KTB) is considering raising its shareholding in its securities subsidiary to 40 per cent to exert greater influence in the firm, KTB president Apisak Tantivorawong said last week. The country’s largest state-owned bank holds a 19-per-cent stake in Trinity Securities Plc.

LE RAFFINE: Penthouses for privileged few

Le Raffine Jambu Dvipa condominium on Sukhumvit 39 recently started construction, and its builder is confident that demand for its units will stay robust amid the competition.

Big turnaround for Phuket

A new wave of residential properties are being launched in Phuket timed to the recent royal regatta. Among the upcoming projects are two new marinas and a sizeable number of luxury housing estates geared for overseas buyers.

Electronics giants look to gain insight at Siam Paragon

Leading consumer electronics players, including Sony, Toshiba, Pioneer and Samsung, have opened flagship showrooms at the Siam Paragon shopping complex, not only to demonstrate the latest innovations but also to gain insight into consumer tastes and habits across all classes and lifestyles.

First check out the top executives, then look at the fundamentals

Amid the emergence of novel tactics to scam stock investors, there is no better way to safeguard your investment than paying maximum attention to the backgrounds of chief executive officers (CEOs) and chief financial officers (CFOs), not to a particular company’s fundamentals, a prominent auditor says.

STREET WISE WTO: meet a bit too stagey

It seemed like watching a play to many of those who were in the Plenary Hall of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre to attend the opening ceremony of the World Trade Organisation’s ministerial conference in Hong Kong last Tuesday.

ANALYSIS: Investment banks’ moves sparked Shin sale rumours

The scramble by investment banks to match Shin Corp Plc up with an overseas suitor has sparked the recent reports of Shin’s major shareholders planning to sell out to foreign telecom companies.

ASIAN ICT SURVEY :Cell phones ‘an extension of ourselves’

32% of Thai respondents downloaded items from Internet into their mobiles. Mobile-phone devices are in the near future expected to become the most common means of telephonic communication around the world.

Competition cuts into growth

Though the mobile-phone market grew only marginally this year, firms have not stopped investing more in their networks to support 3G technology. Kasikorn Research Centre (KResearch) has blamed the insignificant growth on cut-throat competition.

INSURANCE POLICIES: Taking cover from the unexpected

Life insurance is not only a good way to protect yourself, it can also be a useful investment tool – and tax-deductible too. The Revenue Department has revealed that in 2004 only 4,874 people, or 0.07 per cent of the nation’s 6,652,069 taxpayers, earned more than Bt10 million.