* Lockdown near Bangkok sparks selloff in Thai markets
* New strain of coronavirus in UK weighs on sentiment
* China stocks buck trend, rise 0.6%
By Anushka Trivedi
Dec 21 (Reuters) - Thailand's stocks and baht led losses in
Asian emerging markets on Monday after coronavirus curbs in a
key export hub near Bangkok were extended following a record
number of cases in the country, reviving fears of an economic
slowdown.
A seafood industry centre that is home to thousands of
migrant workers, Samut Sakhon will stay locked down until Jan. 3
after an outbreak at a shrimp market over the weekend, leading
Thailand to report more than 500 cases of coronavirus.
Thai equities .SETI slid 3.7% and the baht THB=TH fell
almost 1% due to the economy's heavy dependence on trade and
tourism, and both were headed for their worst sessions in many
months.
"The selloff is because of the news of the lockdown in the
province near Bangkok," said Peerapan Suwannarat, senior market
and economic research specialist at Kasikornbank.
Phillip Securities analysts in a note to clients said the
lockdown could take a toll on Samut Sakorn's processed seafood,
cold storage, packaging and fishing industries, major sources of
revenue for the region, and dampen confidence of both local and
foreign investors.
The surge in cases comes as Thailand attempts to revive a
tourist industry devastated by the pandemic. Only last week, it
had eased restrictions to allow more foreign tourists to return.
Other Asian currencies also buckled as investors sought the
safety of the dollar .DXY on news that a new coronavirus
strain had led to a tougher lockdown in the United Kingdom.
FRX/
The South Korean won KRW=KFTC and the Singapore dollar
SGD= fell about 0.3% each, while the Taiwanese dollar TWD=TP
was the only exception, moving up 1.3%.
Most Asian equity markets slipped, including Manila .PSI
and Kuala Lumpur .KLSE , although the Shanghai index .SSEC
added 0.6%.
China, the region's economic powerhouse, reiterated that it
would avoid any sudden shifts in policy in a bid to keep
economic growth within a reasonable range in 2021, the Xinhua
news agency said on Friday after a meeting of top leaders ended.
HIGHLIGHTS
** Thailand's 10-year government bond yields are up about
4.30 basis points at 1.22%
** Top losers on Thailand's SETI .SETI include Nok
Airlines PCL NOK.BK down 14.67% and Nirvana Daii PCL NVD.BK
down 12.9%
** Top gainers on the Jakarta stock index .JKSE include
Lotte Chemical Titan Tbk PT FPNI.JK up 34.6% and Bank
Pembangunan Daerah Banten Tbk PT BEKS.JK up 34.3%
Asia stock indexes and
currencies at 0423 GMT
COUNTRY FX RIC FX DAILY % FX YTD % INDEX STOCKS STOCKS YTD %
DAILY %
Japan JPY= -0.06 +5.07 .N225 -0.52 12.54
China CNY=CFXS -0.17 +6.31 .SSEC 0.58 11.95
India INR=IN +0.00 -2.96 .NSEI -0.35 12.69
Indonesia IDR= -0.14 -1.56 .JKSE 1.26 -1.88
Malaysia MYR= -0.17 +1.09 .KLSE -0.36 3.63
Philippin PHP= +0.04 +5.41 .PSI -0.47 -7.38
es
S.Korea KRW=KFTC -0.09 +5.06 .KS11 -0.01 26.13
Singapore SGD= -0.41 +0.90 .STI -0.21 -11.78
Taiwan TWD=TP +1.25 +6.99 .TWII 0.70 19.61
Thailand THB=TH -0.73 -0.33 .SETI -2.51 -8.52