Thai purchasing power weakened by surging energy costs and rising crude oil prices (near $108/bbl), pushing the Bank of Thailand and research centers to downgrade 2026 growth forecasts to 2% and credit growth to 0.5%. Households earning under 30,000 baht/month now classified as "new fragile class," with SMEs showing zombie-company traits and rising NPLs (2.76%→2.80-3.00%). Government accelerating decisions on extending Thailand Helps Thailand Plus stimulus through end-September to support 40 million beneficiaries facing credit tightening.