BANGKOK, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's business sentiment continued to rebound across most sectors in June, fueled by easing Middle East tensions, lower energy prices, and government economic relief measures, data from the central bank showed on Wednesday.

This photo taken on July 17, 2024 shows the first global strategic model of China's carmaker GAC Aion at Aion's electric vehicle (EV) factory in Rayong province, Thailand. (Xinhua/Sun Weitong)

According to the Bank of Thailand, the Southeast Asian country's business sentiment index (BSI) stood at 46.1 last month, jumping from 42.5 in May, led by the production, performance, and total order books sub-components.

The manufacturing index picked up across all industries, particularly in the automotive sector, which saw improvements in every component, while sentiment among the chemical industry rose as energy cost pressures softened, the central bank said in a statement.

Similarly, the non-manufacturing index climbed, as consumer goods sales, especially for small- and medium-sized grocery stores, were buoyed by temporarily increased domestic purchasing power from the government's co-payment scheme.

In the June survey, the three-month expected BSI rose to 48.0, up from 46.9 a month earlier, following a stronger non-manufacturing index across several industries, despite the manufacturing index remaining stable.

However, the overall index hovered below the 50-point threshold, reflecting a further weakening of sentiment among businesses compared to the preceding month.

The reading was based on a survey of 644 respondents from large and medium-sized firms.