* Asian shares broadly higher after China data * Indonesian authorities say prepared for daily cases to cross 60,000 * Singapore stocks slide after COVID-19 cluster found * Bearish bets build on Asian currencies By Anushka Trivedi July 15 (Reuters) - The won saw its best day in three-months and bond yields firmed after South Korea"s central bank strongly hinted it could be the first one in Asia to tighten monetary policy as the country"s economic recovery remains on track. The won ended up 0.6%, while the most liquid 3-year Korean treasury bond yield rose by 10.8 basis points to 1.499% after Bank of Korea (BOK) Governor Lee Ju-yeol maintained his hawkish tone at the policy review and left interest rates unchanged at 0.5%. Despite being embroiled in its worst COVID-19 outbreak yet, which capped gains among local stocks, Lee raised this year"s inflation outlook to 2%- to mid-2% range, up from 1.8% projection in May. South Korea"s consistently robust trade figures, BOK"s 75-basis-point rate cuts since last year and the government"s fiscal support has kept prospects bright for the nation despite an economic contraction in 2020. "A policy rate hike is likely in October 2021," said analysts at TD Securities. "Semiconductor exports are particularly strong and as such portend to a relatively firm growth outlook, with gross domestic product likely to increase by around 4% over 2021." In a statement after the meeting, BOK said it would "judge whether it is appropriate to adjust the degree of accommodation." The bank also revealed a dissenting vote by a board member, which typically hints at policy change in the months ahead. The Philippine peso, Singapore"s dollar and the Malaysian ringgit traded flat to 0.1% higher as worries over local COVID-19 outbreaks countered support from top trade partner China"s encouraging monthly data even as its second-quarter growth slowed. Investor outlook on regional currencies had worsened due to the COVID-19 situation, with bearish bets on the peso at their highest since October 2018, a Reuters poll found. In Indonesia, authorities braced themselves for daily cases to hit the 60,000 mark as the Delta variant spread faster than their expectations, whereas in Singapore, a new virus cluster related to karaoke lounges drove COVID-19 cases to a 10 month high. Singapore"s stock index dipped 0.4% while Malaysia , India and Taiwan equities climbed. HIGHLIGHTS ** Singapore"s 10-year benchmark yield was down 4.6 basis points at 1.456% ** Indonesian 10-year benchmark yield was down 5.7 basis points at 6.45% ** Top loser on Malaysia index is Sime Darby Plantation Bhd down 4.6%, while Philippine stocks lost 1.6% Asia stock indexes and currencies at 0740 GMT COUNTRY FX RIC FX DAILY % FX YTD % INDEX STOCKS DAILY % STOCKS YTD % Japan +0.17 -5.97 -1.15 3.04 China +0.15 +1.07 1.02 2.64 India +0.08 -1.95 0.39 13.84 Indonesia -0.17 -3.17 0.91 0.91 Malaysia +0.02 -4.24 0.68 -6.43 Philippines +0.12 -4.25 -1.57 -5.77 S.Korea +0.61 -4.84 0.66 14.36 Singapore +0.04 -2.36 -0.53 10.29 Taiwan +0.45 +2.16 1.06 22.41 Thailand +0.03 -8.24 0.36 8.69 (Reporting by Anushka Trivedi in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)