(Corrects day of the week to Wednesday from Thursday)
* Investors hope Fed may follow ECB chief Draghi's easing
tilt
* Focus on Philippine, Indonesia cenbank decisions on
Thursday
* Singapore jumps to near 6-week peak, Malaysia near 3-month
high
By Rashmi Ashok
June 19 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian stock markets rose on
Wednesday as comments by European Central Bank (ECB) President
Mario Draghi indicating the possibility of fresh rate cuts or
asset purchases fuelled talks of a worldwide wave of central
bank stimulus.
Markets got an extra boost when U.S. President Donald Trump
confirmed that he would meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping
at the G20 summit later this month, and said talks between the
two countries would restart after a recent lull. "Dovish ECB and positive headway on trade war may spur
bargain hunting in Asia today. However, gains will likely be
capped with the market still waiting on the Fed," ING said in a
note.
Market participants now hope the U.S. Federal Reserve would
follow the ECB and open the door to future rate cuts. The Fed is
scheduled to release a statement at 1800 GMT on Wednesday,
followed by a press conference by Chairman Jerome Powell.
The Philippine and Indonesian central banks are set to meet
on Thursday to review monetary policy.
"With increased odds of the Fed easing, we don't think Asian
central banks will resist easing pressure for too long... We now
see most Asian central banks riding a wave of easing by the next
quarter," ING said.
Singapore stocks .STI surged as much as 1.5% to a near
six-week high, with large caps gaining the most. Lenders DBS
Group Holdings DBSM.SI and United Overseas Bank UOBH.SI
packed on 3.1% and 2.1%, respectively.
Indonesian shares .JKSE climbed for a second straight
session with telecom and financial stocks dominating gains.
Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk TLKM.JK added 2.3%.
Malaysian stocks .KLSE hit a near three-month high, with
top gainer Malaysia Airports Holdings MAHB.KL advancing as
much as 6.7%. Electric utility Tenaga Nasional TENA.KL rose
1.5%.
Philippine shares .PSI edged higher, backed largely by
real estate stocks. Conglomerate Ayala Land ALI.PS rose 1.7%,
while property developer SM Prime Holdings SMPH.PS added 1.2%.
Vietnam shares .VNI jumped on the back of financial and
real estate stocks, while Thailand .SETI found support from
heavyweight energy stocks.
For Asian Companies click;
SOUTHEAST ASIAN STOCK MARKETS at 0301 GMT
Change on the day
Market Current Previous close Pct Move
Singapore 3285.88 3238.73 1.46
Bangkok 1695.84 1683.6 0.73
Manila 7948.39 7922.04 0.33
Jakarta 6307.311 6257.33 0.80
Kuala Lumpur 1661.81 1652.76 0.55
Ho Chi Minh 948.54 944.01 0.48
Change so far in 2019
Market Current End 2018 Pct Move
Singapore 3285.88 3068.76 7.08
Bangkok 1695.84 1563.88 8.44
Manila 7948.39 7,466.02 6.46
Jakarta 6307.311 6,194.50 1.82
Kuala Lumpur 1661.81 1690.58 -1.70
Ho Chi Minh 948.54 892.54 6.27