* Peso hits lowest since May 28 * Singapore stocks track best day since May 18 * Graphic: World FX rates tmsnrt.rs/2RBWI5E * Asian stock markets: tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4 By Shashwat Awasthi June 15 (Reuters) - The Philippine peso fell the most in more than two months on Tuesday after coronavirus curbs were prolonged in the capital Manila and nearby provinces until end-June and quarantine measures were tightened to battle rising infections. The peso slid as much as 0.4% to a more than two-week low and was on track for its worst day since April 7. Stocks in Manila, which have rallied more than 4% so far this month, gave up 0.2%. The Philippines has the second highest number of infections and casualties in Southeast Asia after Indonesia and finds its healthcare sector stretched as it battles rising cases. President Rodrigo Duterte announced the extension of curbs on Monday. "Despite seeing the vaccination in full swing, cases have plateaued at a relatively high daily count of 6,000, complicating the full reopening of the economy," said Nicholas Mapa, a senior economist at Dutch bank ING. "Mobility curbs, partial and full, imposed for the entirety of Q2 point to a lower than predicted GDP report," he said, adding that some traders were also defensive ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve"s meeting. The much anticipated meeting of the U.S. central bank could shed more light on its next policy steps, including when it will begin tapering its bond buying programme and tighten ultra-easy monetary settings. The U.S. dollar held steady on Tuesday and U.S. Treasury yields recovered from three-month lows, leading most emerging Asian currencies to trade roughly flat to slightly lower. The Indonesian rupiah lost 0.3% as it continued to hand back some recent gains and as investors awaited a Bank Indonesia meeting on Thursday that is expected to leave policy interest rates at a record low. Among regional stock markets, Singapore"s FTSE Strait Times Index stood out with a 0.8% gain. The Monetary Authority of Singapore on Monday released a survey of economists and analysts which forecast the country"s 2021 gross domestic product to expand more-than-expected. Separately, data showed foreigners were net buyers of Asian bonds in May, helped by a drop in U.S. bond yields and a recovery in the region"s economic activity, though the risk of spiking infections kept buying at a four-month low. HIGHLIGHTS: ** Indonesian 10-year benchmark yields are up 5.7 basis points at 6.416% ** Top gainers on the Singapore STI include Singapore Exchange up 2.4%, DBS Group up 4.5% and Mapletree Commercial Trust up 1.4% Asia stock indexes and currencies at 0320 GMT COUNTRY FX RIC FX DAILY % FX YTD % INDEX STOCKS DAILY % STOCKS YTD % Japan -0.04 -6.23 0.73 7.04 China -0.11 +1.92 -0.89 2.44 India +0.00 -0.28 0.00 13.09 Indonesia -0.28 -1.40 -0.27 1.42 Malaysia +0.00 -2.26 0.01 -2.74 Philippines -0.42 +0.14 -0.20 -3.30 S.Korea -0.14 -2.87 0.11 13.30 Singapore -0.06 -0.46 0.77 11.73 Taiwan +0.05 +3.14 0.61 17.56 Thailand -0.03 -3.76 0.01 12.69 (Reporting by Shashwat Awasthi in Bengaluru; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore) Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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