Conclusion History has taught us that financial crises can be extremely violent. The current turmoil in Europe is no exception. In the most intense phases, it is difficult to imagine that there is light at the end of the tunnel. But history has also taught us that crises provide opportunities for reform and progress. We live in democracies and have to accept that political decisions follow their own process and  4  BIS central bankers’ speeches  obey their own constraints. But I am confident that the euro area will emerge from this period stronger and more cohesive. There are, indeed, some reasons for optimism. On the supply side, our economies are robust and dynamic. Corporate balance sheets are very strong. Our banking system is robust and well supervised. Emerging economies are well placed to enjoy strong and sustainable growth in the years to come therefore contributing to sustained global demand. Above all, the community of nations seems ready to face the extraordinary challenges we are confronted with. BIS central bankers’ speeches  5
Moreover, the allowed holding period of foreign currency deposits was extended from 3 to 6 months. The important lesson here is that we cannot push away globalization. Instead, we must learn to cope with and understand it well enough to reap maximum benefit from such an open environment. At the same time, we must reinforce our own immunity system, for example, by strengthening and broadening the domestic sector and by having good early warning indicators so that large capital fluctuations, should they occur, will not put a strain on the economy and impede our growth process. Appropriate policy mix regarding interest rate, exchange rate, and capital account liberalization thus remains an important challenge for the central bank. Ladies and gentlemen, I hope I have done my part today in sharing with you my assessment of the economy. My key point is that the economy is now doing better in terms of both the growth prospects and macroeconomic stability, and has the potential to continue to do well in the next year as the global economic environment improves. This important turnaround has come about through a combination of hard work, luck, and appropriate supportive policies, not to mention the progress that has been made on economic restructuring and reforms since the crisis. But most important perhaps has been the commitment, the spirit, and the confidence of our private sector that have helped steer the Thai economy through one of her most difficult periods.