* Indian rupee falls to weakest level in 3 weeks
* Trade deal developments continue to hold sway
* South Korean won gains up to 0.5%
(Adds text, updates prices)
By Aby Jose Koilparambil
Nov 8 (Reuters) - India's rupee slipped to its weakest level
in three weeks after ratings firm Moody's cut its outlook on the
country, while uncertainty around the progress of a prospective
Sino-U.S. trade deal punctured broader regional sentiment.
The Indian rupee INR=IN fell as much as 0.5% to 71.31
against the dollar and is set for its first weekly loss in three
after Moody's Investors Service on Thursday cut India's ratings
outlook to "negative" from "stable". The Indian equities markets also lost ground, with the
broader NSE Index .NSEI slipping as much as 0.4%.
Moody's cited increasing risks that growth in Asia's
third-largest economy will remain lower than in the past for the
downgrade, adding its action partly reflected government and
policy ineffectiveness in addressing economic weakness.
"Moody's decision to change its outlook to "negative" from
"stable" is a matter of concern," said Rushabh Maru, currency
and commodity research analyst at Anand Rathi Financial Services
Ltd.
"Focus will now shift to India's macroeconomic data to be
released next week and the rupee may trade in the range of 70.80
and 71.60 in the near term."
Underpinning the rupee's slide was a subdued emerging
regional market as sentiment turned around on Thursday after an
outside adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump said there was no
specific agreement for a phased rollback of tariffs.
Sources said the rollback plan faced fierce internal
opposition at the White House, and the markets, which had
advanced on Thursday's news that China has reached an agreement
with the U.S. on tariff cancellation, were pushed to back foot
again. The Thai baht THB=TH dipped as much as 0.3%, while the
Malaysian ringgit MYR=MY and the Indonesian rupiah IDR=ID
weakened as much as 0.2% each.
The Chinese yuan CNY=CFXS was little changed after data
showed China's October exports and imports contracted less than
expected, a whiff of good news for the region which relies
heavily on Chinese demand.
The Taiwanese dollar TWD=TP gained 0.1% ahead of October
trade data, scheduled to be released at 0800 GMT, while the
Philippine peso PHP= was little changed.
The South Korean won KRW=KFTC outperformed its peers on
the day, gaining as much as 0.5%, and is set to put on about
0.8% for the week for a sixth successive weekly gain.
China's trade data showed that its imports from South Korea
rose 3.3% on a month-on-month basis. CURRENCIES VS U.S. DOLLAR
Currency Latest bid Previous day Pct Move
Japan yen 109.240 109.27 +0.03
Sing dlr 1.358 1.3570 -0.08
Taiwan dlr 30.375 30.406 +0.10
Korean won 1156.800 1159.3 +0.22
Baht 30.400 30.34 -0.20
Peso 50.450 50.52 +0.14
Rupiah 14015.000 13990 -0.18
Rupee 71.228 70.97 -0.37
Ringgit 4.132 4.1225 -0.23
Yuan 6.981 6.9788 -0.03
Change so far in 2019
Currency Latest bid End 2018 Pct Move
Japan yen 109.240 109.56 +0.29
Sing dlr 1.358 1.3627 +0.34
Taiwan dlr 30.375 30.733 +1.18
Korean won 1156.800 1115.70 -3.55
Baht 30.400 32.55 +7.07
Peso 50.450 52.47 +4.00
Rupiah 14015.000 14375 +2.57
Rupee 71.228 69.77 -2.05
Ringgit 4.132 4.1300 -0.05
Yuan 6.981 6.8730 -1.55