SE Asia Stocks-SE Asia Stocks-Mostly up; Malaysia, Singapore outperform
Oct 23 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian stocks mostly ended
firmer on Thursday, with Malaysia and Singapore outperforming in
the region amid mixed signals on the Chinese manufacturing
sector.
Singapore's Straits Times Index gained 1.1 percent,
rising to its highest level since Oct. 9, led by financials.
Malaysia rose 0.8 percent to its highest close in two
weeks, led by consumer cyclical stocks like Genting
and Genting Malaysia.
Shares of Malaysia's second-biggest bank, CIMB Group
Holdings Bhd, fell after local media reported that the
Employees Provident Fund (EPF), a key CIMB shareholder, may be
forced to cut its stake to push through a planned merger. It
closed 0.2 percent weaker.
Asian shares sagged after a retreat on Wall Street and
falling crude oil prices rekindled investor anxiety over slowing
global growth, while a mixed picture on Chinese manufacturing
failed to impress markets.
The latest manufacturing read on China did little to allay
those concerns. The flash HSBC/Markit manufacturing purchasing
managers' index (PMI) edged up to 50.4 from a final reading of
50.2 in September, just a hair's breadth from the 50.3 reading
forecast by analysts.
Among the decliners was the Philippine share index,
closing down 0.5 percent, and Vietnam, which dropped 1.3
percent as investors offloaded shares after three days of gains
that followed a sharp decline last week.
The Thailand stock market was closed for a holiday.
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SOUTHEAST ASIAN STOCK MARKETS
Change on day
Market Current Prev Close Pct Move
Singapore 3236.50 3202.74 +1.05
Kuala Lumpur 1810.68 1796.22 +0.81
Bangkok -- 1532.72 -
Jakarta 5103.52 5074.32 +0.58
Manila 7116.13 7154.22 -0.53
Ho Chi Minh 593.53 601.59 -1.34
Change on year
Market Current End 2013 Pct Move
Singapore 3236.50 3167.43 +2.18
Kuala Lumpur 1810.68 1866.96 -3.01
Bangkok 1532.72 1298.71 +18.02
Jakarta 5103.52 4274.18 +19.40
Manila 7116.13 5889.83 +20.82
Ho Chi Minh 593.53 504.63 +17.62
(Reporting by Shihar Aneez; Editing by Prateek Chatterjee)