* Graphic: Foreign flows into Asian stocks https://tmsnrt.rs/3f2vwbA
* Rupiah eases a day after interest rate cut
* Philippine stocks set for worst week since late-April
* Second-wave fears weigh
By Nikhil Nainan
June 19 (Reuters) - Indonesia's rupiah weakened on Friday,
as the prospect of more interest rate cuts this year reduced the
allure of one of Asia's big emerging market carry trades.
With global markets unnerved by signs of renewed spikes in
coronavirus cases in a number of countries, currencies across
the region were largely shackled against the U.S. dollar, with
the South Korean KRW=KFTC won dipping 0.26%.
The rupiah IDR= , however, lost almost 0.4% after Bank
Indonesia cut rates by a quarter point and signalled more easing
to come as it struggles to revive an economy facing its first
contraction in two decades in the second quarter. Citi predicted another quarter percentage point cut in July
while analysts for Goldman Sachs forecast a further 50 basis
points of easing in the months ahead.
"We see this as the start of a renewed easing cycle,"
Goldman said in a note to clients.
The dollar has benefited from growing uncertainty around the
pace of the global recovery, in part due to spiking infections
in countries and areas that have eased restrictions
This week has also seen geopolitical spats rise in parts of
Asia, with heightened tensions in the Korean peninsula and a
deadly border clash between China and India.
Fiona Lim, a senior FX analyst at Maybank, argued, however,
that carry trades more broadly would remain attractive in the
current low-rate environment as global central banks stay
ultra-accommodative and governments keep injecting support.
The region's stock markets were largely lower, with the
global mood darkened by frail U.S. jobs data on Thursday and
this week's new cluster of coronavirus cases in Beijing.
Philippine shares .PSI are headed for the worst week since
April as the uptick of virus cases in the country force
authorities to keep some restrictions in place. Asia stock indexes and currencies at 0400 GMT
COUNTRY FX FX FX INDEX STOCKS STOCKS
RIC DAILY % YTD % DAILY % YTD %
Japan JPY= +0.06 +1.60 .N225 0.36 -5.16
China CNY=CFXS +0.02 -1.74 .SSEC 0.39 -3.26
India INR=IN +0.00 -6.25 .NSEI 0.27 -16.66
Indonesia IDR= -0.36 -1.28 .JKSE 0.42 -21.50
Malaysia MYR= +0.04 -4.35 .KLSE -0.06 -5.33
Philippines PHP= +0.03 +1.03 .PSI -0.25 -19.05
S.Korea KRW=KFTC -0.26 -4.52 .KS11 -0.17 -3.09
Singapore SGD= +0.04 -3.52 .STI -0.85 -17.98
Taiwan TWD=TP +0.28 +1.80 .TWII 0.23 -3.52
Thailand THB=TH +0.39 -3.45 .SETI 0.12 -13.0
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GRAPHIC: Indonesia rates and currency https://tmsnrt.rs/2AEZhRn
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