* Malaysia Aug manufacturing PMI lowest since March
* Singapore, Thailand buck downward trend
By Nikhil Subba
Sept 3 (Reuters) - Malaysia stocks .KLSE fell nearly 1% on
Tuesday after disappointing factory data and most others in the
region were subdued on rising U.S.-China trade tensions, while
Singapore edged up ahead of key manufacturing numbers.
The United States and China imposed additional tariffs on
each other's goods over the weekend, which rekindled worries of
a global recession.
"In terms of trading activity there's not much, so even if
it's moving up, activity is not much. It's just a bounce because
everyone is very tentative," said Rachelle Cruz, an analyst at
AP Securities.
Investors are looking ahead to the likelihood of the next
round of tariffs expected in October and the outcome of the U.S.
Federal Reserve meeting in September, Cruz said.
Malaysia stocks .KLSE declined after data on Tuesday
showed that the country's manufacturing performance for August
fell fractionally to its lowest since March.
Dialog Group DIAL.KL , a provider of technical services to
the oil and gas sector, was the top loser on the Malaysian
benchmark, followed by tourist resort operator Genting Malaysia
GENM.KL , both falling about 1%.
The Philippine index .PSI slipped 0.3%, pressured by
industrials and telecom stocks. Infrastructure developer Metro
Pacific Investments Corp MPI.PS tumbled 2.2%, while Globe
Telecom Inc GLO.PS fell 1.9%.
Indonesia's benchmark .JKSE was down marginally, weighed
down by utilities and telecom services.
Meanwhile, Singapore's Straits Times Index .STI inched up,
boosted by utilities and industrial stocks, ahead of August
manufacturing data expected later in the day.
The data will throw light on the country's economy, which
depends heavily on manufacturing and shipping of electronic
products against the backdrop of a global slowdown.
Sembcorp Industries SCIL.SI climbed 2.5%, while Jardine
Matheson Holdings advanced as much as 1.2%.
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SOUTHEAST ASIAN STOCK MARKETS AT 0424 GMT
Market Current Previous close Pct Move
Singapore 3090.43 3082.96 0.24
Bangkok 1657.7 1654.11 0.22
Manila 7900.85 7918.53 -0.22
Jakarta 6281.698 6290.546 -0.14
Kuala Lumpur 1598.06 1612.14 -0.87
Ho Chi Minh 982.92 984.06 -0.12
Change so far in 2019
Market Current End 2018 Pct Move
Singapore 3090.43 3068.76 0.71
Bangkok 1657.7 1563.88 6.00
Manila 7900.85 7,466.02 5.82
Jakarta 6281.698 6,194.50 1.41
Kuala Lumpur 1598.06 1690.58 -5.47
Ho Chi Minh 982.92 892.54 10.13