Bangkok - Thai shares rose 4.07 per cent Friday in tandem with an international rebound of bourses around the world.

The Stock Exchange of Thailand index ended at 624.83, up 24.45 points.

Phumhadorn Lapudomsuk, a broker at Asia Plus Securities, said gains around the world powered the rise in Thailand. He also predicted investors would sell shares next week to lock in profits from Friday's rebound.

Bangkok  - Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej on Thursday officially endorsed the premiership of Somchai Wongsawat, the brother-in-law of coup-ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

The Thai parliament voted 298 to 163 in favour of Somchai's nomination as prime minister on Wednesday but under Thailand's constitutional monarchy the appointment is not official until it is approved by King Bhumibol, who is head of state.

House Speaker Chai Chidchob flew to Bhumibol's palace in Hua Hin, 150 kilometres south-west of Bangkok, Thursday afternoon to present Somchai's appointment to the king, who endorsed it.

Bangkok  - The Thai stock market staged a sudden rebound Thursday after falling 5.08 per cent by the midday break, apparently inspired by a similar resurgence on the Hong Kong market.

The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) index was at 574.42 points when trading ended for the midday break, or 5.08 per cent, but it ended the day at 600.38, down 4.76 points or 0.8 per cent.

"Everyone is confused about what happened," said Mongkol Phuangphaetha, a stock analyst at Adkinsons Securities. "Brokers were advising people to sell all morning and then suddenly Hong Kong staged a rebound and local investors followed their lead."

Bangkok - The Th

Bangkok - In case anyone had any doubts, the largest bankruptcy in US history plus a bailout of the largest US insurer have demonstrated that Asia is still very much coupled to the world's largest economy.

Asian stock markets suffered sharp declines across the board Monday and Tuesday on the weekend double whammy from across the Pacific, with Lehman Brothers filing for bankruptcy while Merrill Lynch was taken over by Bank of America.

That was swiftly followed by more bad news that the American Insurance Group (AIG), the world's largest insurer, was seeking a bailout, which it received Tuesday to the tune of 85 billion dollars, much to the relief of AIG policyholders in Asia, including 5.8 million in Thailand and 1 million in Hong Kong.

Bangkok - Thai Parliament opened a special session Wednesday to vote in a new prime minister, slated to new Somcahi Wongsawat, the brother-in-law of coup-ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

Somchai on Tuesday secured the nomination of his People Power Party and its five coalition partners, who together hold 306 of the 480 seats in the Lower House.

Somchai, 61, is married to Yaowapa, the younger sister of Thaksin who was toppled by a military coup on September 19, 2006, after holding the premiership since 2001.