* Philippines sees worst week in a month
* Vietnam posts best session in over 1 week
* Malaysia records best weekly gain in over one month
By Shruti Sonal
Dec 20 (Reuters) - Philippine shares recovered from a near
one-year low to end higher on Friday, while most other Southeast
Asian markets were boosted by positive developments around the
Sino-U.S. interim trade deal.
The Philippine benchmark .PSI closed up 1.6% after falling
as much as 2.4%, helped by financial and industrial stocks. For
the week, it shed over 1.3% — its worst weekly show in a month.
Shares of utilities and banks have been volatile on tensions
over repealing of water contracts, and as reports of a central
bank probe on ten lenders for their ties with Australia's
scandal-hit Westpac Banking Corp WBC.AX emerged.
Adding to the volatility was the markets trying to align
with the rebalancing of the FTSE index due later in the day,
said Richard Laneda, a senior research manager at COL Financial
Group.
Most other markets in the region rose after U.S. Treasury
Secretary Steve Mnuchin said the "phase one" trade deal will be
signed in early January. Aiding sentiment was China announcing a list of import
tariff exemptions for six oil and chemical products from the
United States. Malaysian equities .KLSE closed 0.9% higher due to
strength in utilities and basic materials. They posted the
biggest intraday percentage gain in over one month.
The country's consumer price index (CPI) for November rose
less-than-expected because of a fall in prices of clothing and
footwear and lower transport costs, government data showed.
Index heavyweights Petronas Chemicals Group Bhd PCGB.KL
and Petronas Gas Bhd PGAS.KL rose about 3.5% and 5%,
respectively.
Trade-sensitive Singapore .STI eked out marginal gains,
while the Vietnam index .VNI saw its best session in over a
week as financials and real estate stocks rallied.
Indonesian stocks .JKSE reversed Thursday's losses, lifted
up by telecom and consumer sectors.
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SOUTHEAST ASIAN STOCK MARKETS as at 1025 GMT
Change on the day
Market Current Previous close Pct Move
Singapore 3213.04 3207.42 0.15
Bangkok 1575.46 1573.51 -0.04
Manila 7773.12 7653.94 1.56
Jakarta 6284.372 6249.93 0.55
Kuala Lumpur 1610.18 1596.01 0.91
Ho Chi Minh 956.41 952.26 0.44
Change so far in 2019
Market Current End 2018 Pct Move
Singapore 3213.04 3068.76 4.70
Bangkok 1575.46 1563.88 0.74
Manila 7773.12 7,466.02 4.11
Jakarta 6284.372 6,194.50 1.45
Kuala Lumpur 1610.18 1690.58 -4.76
Ho Chi Minh 956.41 892.54 7.16