Wednesday, 30 September 2026 · Daily Market Intel

Market IntelWed, 30 Sept

Bangkok restaurant owners lose up to 80% of sales, still owe rent.

Flood cash focus · commute costs · grant rails

Someone's payday
- Dry dining rooms, empty tables: why are Bangkok restaurants losing up to 80% of sales? — Nation Thailand
  Flooded roads kept guests, staff and delivery riders away, cutting Bangkok restaurant sales by up to 80%, says Restaurant Operators Club chair Sorathep Rojpotjanaruch. Steve Cafe & Cuisine lost eight group bookings in one weekend.
  Positive-sum angle: Operators who share the hit early with landlords, staff and suppliers keep all three for the reopening. A landlord who defers a fortnight's rent keeps a tenant, and growers and wholesalers keep a buyer once the roads dry.
  What's the impact: A Bangkok restaurant owner should count cash against two weeks of rent and wages today; Sorathep puts the crisis point for small venues at two weeks. Ask the landlord for a deferral now and cut dishes built on vegetables, whose wholesale price has doubled.
Your costs
- Should Singapore bosses top up transport pay? Adult fares rise up to US$0.10 on 26 December — The Star
  The Public Transport Council, Singapore's fare regulator, approved a 7% rise from 26 December to cover higher energy costs. Adult card fares rise up to US$0.10 a trip; seniors and students pay about US$0.04 more.
  Positive-sum angle: Operators recover a fuel bill they cannot hedge, which keeps buses running for the shops and clinics whose staff ride them. Low-wage workers on the Workfare concession pay nothing extra, and 60,000 more households now qualify for transport vouchers.
  What's the impact: A Singapore employer with ten staff taking two longer trips a day pays up to about US$45 (S$57) more a month if it covers the rise, at 22 working days. Put it in the 2027 budget before January pay reviews.
The tool
- Planning new software or an overseas trade trip? Singapore's EDGE grant pays up to 70%, from today — Enterprise Singapore
  Enterprise Singapore's EDGE grant replaced three older SME grants (EDG, PSG and MRA) on 30 September. SMEs get up to 70% of costs across eight areas, from digitalisation to overseas expansion, within one US$78,000 yearly cap.
  Positive-sum angle: One form and one cap cut the paperwork that kept small firms from claiming at all. Software vendors, consultants and overseas partners gain as SMEs fund shelved projects, and larger firms can now claim up to 50%.
  What's the impact: A Singapore firm scoping ops software or a Johor or Jakarta launch should run the BizSG recommender, the government's grant-matching tool, this week. EDGE pays back only after full payment, so hold the cash; the US$78,000 (S$100,000) cap resets each 1 April.

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