EMERGING MARKETS-Philippine Peso, Thai Baht slip as c.banks stay accommodative

  • 6/24/2021
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* Baht weakens to over 1-year low * Malaysia shares fall to over 1-month low * Graphic: World FX rates tmsnrt.rs/2RBWI5E * Asian stock markets: tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4 * By Soumyajit Saha June 24 (Reuters) - The Philippine peso inched lower on Thursday, after the country"s central bank kept its key policy rate unchanged, while the baht extended losses to hit a 13-month low as the Bank of Thailand promised further policy accommodation. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) kept the rate on its overnight reverse repurchase facility at a record low of 2.0% in line with expectations, as a resurgence of coronavirus cases in some regions threatened the pace of economic recovery. "With price pressures fading and inflation set to slide back within target... we expect BSP to extend its pause for the balance of the year, with a possible rate hike by the middle of next year," said Nicholas Mapa, a senior economist with Dutch bank ING. The peso can be expected to "remain pressured in the near term on anxiety over the timing of the Fed taper," he added. Philippine stocks ended about 0.5% lower. Thailand"s baht extended losses for a second session in a row, after the central bank downgraded the tourism-reliant country"s 2021 economic growth forecast on Wednesday, while sharply lowering its previous tourist estimates for this year. Thai stocks dropped more than 1% in their biggest fall in more than a month and the index"s sixth consecutive session of losses. A return of thousands of pro-democracy protesters to the streets calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha also added to the political uncertainty. Malaysia"s ringgit and Indonesia"s rupiah also weakened, tracking broader emerging assets that have come under pressure as hawkish U.S. Federal Reserve signals propelled the dollar to a 11-week high. Malaysian stocks fell 0.5% to a more than one-month low, while Indonesian shares receded 0.3%, as rising coronavirus cases prompted financial hub Hong Kong to ban flights from the country. Bucking the overall gloom, the South Korean won firmed 0.25% after the central bank said it expected upward inflationary pressure on both demand and supply fronts, reinforcing views that it was shifting to a less accommodative monetary policy. HIGHLIGHTS ** Thailand"s 10-year government bond yields down 2 basis points at 1.625%​​ ** Singapore"s 10-year benchmark yield up 3.1 basis points at 1.559%​​ Asia stock indexes and currencies at 0816 GMT COUNTRY FX RIC FX FX INDEX STOCK STOCKS DAILY YTD % S YTD % % DAILY % Japan +0.06 -6.88 0.00 5.21 China +0.02 +0.85 0.01 2.69 India +0.06 -1.56 0.63 12.91 Indonesia -0.03 -2.74 -0.37 0.55 Malaysia -0.10 -3.44 -0.50 -4.31 Philippines +0.10 -1.34 -0.47 -3.55 S.Korea +0.25 -4.29 0.30 14.36 Singapore +0.13 -1.73 0.00 9.67 Taiwan +0.01 +1.72 0.41 18.16 Thailand -0.16 -5.99 -0.78 8.99 (Reporting by Soumyajit Saha in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich) Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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