What is the current status of Thay and its economy?

Question

In the last century between 3.5E (~1372 DR), and 5E (~1489), Thay went through the civil war in which the lich Szass Tam won, and banished other wizards making necromancers and undead arcanists the ruling class of the nation.

In 3.5E Thay was famous for two exports - slaves and magic items. However, in the current situation of the world, creating magic items is more difficult, and Thay going full necromancy shouldn't be so interested in the exports.

This connects with enclaves which they were building in distant countries on the Sword Coast. If I remember correctly, they even appeared in one of the offical adventures for D&D 3E. I can't find any material which confirm that they are still there, but if they can't produce and export magic items they should not be that relevant.

Is there any mention in the books or other official material for D&D 5E that Thay mages still are selling magical items in the enclaves, or are they abandoned?

Answer 1

In the Appendix of Hoard of the Dragon Queen, it gives the following information about the Red Wizards.

Red Wizards of Thay

Red Wizards

Red Wizards are the would-be magical overlords of Faerûn.

Feared by the general public as evil tyrants, Red Wizards trade their magical inventions for slaves, steel, silk, and gold.

As magical artificers of great skill, they command high prices, and are not afraid to extend credit—for there are few who could survive an unpaid debt to these wizards.

Furthermore, in Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide they are described as:

The zulkirs and their underlings constantly vie with one another for power and influence, and this competition frequently sends Red Wizards far from Thay to seek new spells, recover lost artifacts, and create wealth that can flow back to Thay.

Creating wealth is very broad, so would be open to whether it included selling magical items.