Word: baht
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Maybe you were distracted by the landing of Pathfinder on Mars or were just not paying particular attention when Thailand's currency, the baht, began to fall to earth like a wounded satellite. On July 2 the baht plunged more than 12% in value against the greenback. Then it crashed into the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia, where government officials were forced to devalue their currencies. That triggered a region-wide crisis, in which stock markets gave up as much as 35% of their value, inflated real estate prices fell through the floor, banks collapsed, and hundreds of thousands of Southeast...
...places like Russia, China and Argentina, some homesick investors may be second-guessing their decision to become players in the ballyhooed global economy. Certainly, the carnage in Asia has been enough to give anyone doubts. In a move most pros didn't see coming, Thailand devalued its currency, the baht, on July 2. Thai stocks promptly skidded 30% and sent tremors through markets in the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Hong Kong. Stock funds heavily invested in the region fell an average 13%, with some--including Landmark Emerging Asia and Merrill Lynch Emerging Tigers--falling more than 30%, according...
...Southeast Asia has been the reliable news for decades, but suddenly the old assumptions are not so certain. Thailand this year has suffered a currency run a la Mexico and for similar reasons: overspending, a loss of competitiveness and the perception that its currency was overvalued. As the Thai baht slid 25% against the U.S. dollar over the past 12 months, other currencies also fell. Then stock markets swooned. Economist Behravesh predicts little growth (1.5%) this year in Thailand, after an annual average of 9% for the past decade. But it will rebound to 3% in 1998. Indonesia will grow...
...kind of management that is far more aggressive. Lawmakers insist that clients be "experienced with risky assets" and rich enough (in some cases, at least $5 million in investable assets) that they won't be wiped out by some slap-happy manager who bets everything on the Thai baht. Hedge funds shine in volatile markets. Says Robert Jaeger, president of Evaluation Associates Capital Markets: "The whole idea behind hedge funds is to have some money invested with people whose returns aren't going to be totally determined by whether the market is up or down. It's a different risk...