* Indonesia cenbank targets higher growth in 2020
* EU lawmakers back trade deal with Vietnam
* Healthcare stocks help Malaysia
By Soumyajit Saha
Jan 22 (Reuters) - Most Southeast Asian stock markets were
little changed on Wednesday, while trading was thin as investors
stayed on the sidelines ahead of Lunar New Year holidays and a
World Health Organisation (WHO) meeting on the virus outbreak in
China.
The WHO will consider whether to designate the outbreak an
international public health emergency. Chinese officials said
440 people were confirmed infected, with nine deaths.
Markets are watching for further developments in the fight
to contain the coronavirus and any decision by the WHO will
affect risk sentiment, KGI Securities' analyst Joel Ng said.
Indonesian stocks .JKSE snapped two sessions of losses,
helped by gains in financials.
Bank Central Asia BBCA.JK and Bank Mandiri (Persero)
BMRI.JK gained 0.9% and 0.7%, respectively.
The country's central bank said it targets the economy to
grow at 5.1% to 5.5% this year, a slight increase from 2019, and
will continue with accommodative monetary policy to support
growth. Separately, a senior central bank official said it was
prepared to support stability of the rupiah IDR=ID currency
through market intervention amid heightened risk from the virus
outbreak in China. Vietnam's benchmark touched a two-month high as financial
shares rallied.
Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Investment and Development
of Vietnam BID.HM rose 0.7% and Vietnam Joint Stock Commercial
Bank for Industry and Trade CTG.HM gained 1.4%.
European Union lawmakers gave initial backing on Tuesday for
a free trade agreement struck with Vietnam, the bloc's most
comprehensive such pact with a developing country. stocks .KLSE edged higher ahead of the central
bank's overnight policy rate decision, where it is expected to
keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged, according to a
Reuters poll. Meanwhile, government data showed that December's consumer
price index rose 1% from a year earlier, as expected, driven by
expansion in all but two sectors tracked by the index.
Hospital operator IHH Healthcare IHHH.KL rose 2.5%, while
medical device maker Top Glove Corp TPGC.KL was 5.7% higher.
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SOUTHEAST ASIAN STOCK MARKETS AS AT 0318 GMT
STOCK MARKETS
Change on the day
Market Current Previous Pct Move
close
Singapore 3245.34 3247.17 -0.06
Bangkok 1576.11 1574.94 0.07
Manila 7452.23 7466.65 -0.19
Jakarta 6255.253 6238.153 0.27
Kuala Lumpur 1589.72 1587.33 0.15
Ho Chi Minh 988.95 986.37 0.26
Change so far in
2020
Market Current End 2019 Pct Move
Singapore 3245.34 3222.83 0.70
Bangkok 1576.11 1579.84 -0.24
Manila 7452.23 7,815.26 -4.65
Jakarta 6255.253 6,299.54 -0.70
Kuala Lumpur 1589.72 1588.76 0.06
Ho Chi Minh 988.95 960.99 2.91