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EM ASIA FX-Thai baht, Indian rupee firm; most trade sideways

* Thai baht leads intraday gains * Rupee stronger ahead of India's inflation data (Adds text, updates prices) By Ambar Warrick June 12 (Reuters) - Asian currencies traded narrowly on Wednesday, with the Thai baht and Indian rupee firming as investors looked to data that could raise prospects of an early cut in U.S. interest rates. Economic indicators in the United States have been a point of focus for emerging markets, given that sustained weakness in the economy could prompt immediate action from the Federal Reserve and drive money to regional currencies. Sino-U.S. trade tensions, meanwhile, kept markets cautious as U.S. President Donald Trump hardened his stance on trade talks with China. Trump said on Tuesday he was holding up a trade deal with China and had no interest in moving ahead unless Beijing agrees again to four or five "major points", be he did not specify. "Expect investors to remain antsy with U.S. Commerce Secretary expecting no major breakthrough deals, while official rhetoric from China continues to harden," OCBC's Emmanuel Ng said in a note. The Thai baht led gains for the day, rising about 0.15% to the dollar. The currency has outperformed its peers this year, gaining about 4.2% so far. While Thailand's strong economic fundamentals, such as a robust current account surplus, have bolstered the baht, headwinds from global trade are expected to weigh. This has already become apparent with a steady decline in its surplus this year. The Indian rupee rose about 0.06% to the dollar. The currency has benefited from a recent drop in oil prices, as India imports a vast majority of its crude requirements. Retail inflation in the country is expected to have accelerated in May, according to a Reuters poll, but will likely remain below the Reserve Bank of India's target, providing it with more room to ease policy after shifting to an accommodative stance last week. The official reading is expected later in the day. Indian industrial output data for April is also due later in the day. Elsewhere, the Chinese yuan edged about 0.07% lower against the dollar. It gained on Tuesday following the central bank's plans to issue bills in Hong Kong later in June that analysts believed were aimed at preventing the currency from declining further. The Philippine peso saw limited trade with markets closed for a public holiday. The following table shows rates for Asian currencies against the dollar on Wednesday. CURRENCIES VS U.S. DOLLAR Change on the day at 0421 GMT Currency Latest bid Previous day Pct Move Japan yen 108.450 108.5 +0.05 Sing dlr 1.364 1.3635 -0.06 Taiwan dlr 31.415 31.436 +0.07 Korean won 1181.600 1180.4 -0.10 Baht 31.243 31.29 +0.15 Rupiah 14235.000 14235 +0.00 Rupee 69.400 69.44 +0.06 Ringgit 4.162 4.161 -0.02 Yuan 6.916 6.9112 -0.07 Change so far in 2019 Currency Latest bid End 2018 Pct Move Japan yen 108.450 109.56 +1.02 Sing dlr 1.364 1.3627 -0.12 Taiwan dlr 31.415 30.733 -2.17 Korean won 1181.600 1115.70 -5.58 Baht 31.243 32.55 +4.19 Rupiah 14235.000 14375 +0.98 Rupee 69.400 69.77 +0.53 Ringgit 4.162 4.1300 -0.77 Yuan 6.916 6.8730 -0.62 (Reporting by Ambar Warrick in Bengaluru Editing by Jacqueline Wong)