EM ASIA FX-Most Asian currencies rise in catch-up trade; Singapore dollar dips

(Adds detail, updates prices)

By Ambar Warrick

Oct 16 (Reuters) - Most Asian currencies ticked up against

the dollar on Monday, which softened after disappointing U.S.

inflation data on Friday undercut the greenback.

The dollar index was little changed, lacking momentum

after having posted its first weekly fall last week as

underlying inflation remained muted despite a jump in U.S.

consumer prices.

" When the dollar dropped on Friday, it wasn't reflected in

Asian currencies as a lot of them were not trading at the time.

So when the market opened today, we saw a lot of catch-up

gains," said Gao Qi, Asia FX Strategist at Scotiabank.

Thailand's baht edged up against the dollar with

the Taiwan dollar following suit.

"Markets have apparently found a happy medium after all the

tax reform and U.S. economic data had markets pricing in a

quicker pace of Fed normalisation, underpinning the broader

USD," Stephen Innes, senior trader at FX broker OANDA said in a

note.

The South Korean won also ticked up against the

dollar.

Foreign investors continued to be net sellers of South

Korean bonds and domestic stocks in September on persistent

worries over the geo-political tensions between North Korea and

the United States.

The Indian rupee rose to a near 1-month high

against the dollar. India is set to release inflation data for

September later in the day.

India's retail inflation was expected to have edged up in

September, driven by higher salaries for government employees as

well as the impact of a new national tax, a Reuters poll found.

The Singapore dollar ticked down against the

dollar.

Singapore's central bank held monetary policy steady on

Friday but changed a reference to maintaining current settings

for an extended period, a shift that analysts said created room

for a tightening next year.

The Philippine peso did not trade as markets were

closed because of a transport strike.

CHINESE YUAN

The Chinese yuan edged up against the dollar on

Monday.

The PBOC set the official yuan midpoint at 6.5839

against the dollar, compared to the last close of 6.5805 on

Friday.

China's economy is expected to grow 7 percent in the second

half of this year, the central bank governor said, accelerating

from the first six months and defying widespread expectations

for a slowdown.

China's producer prices rose 6.9 percent in September from a

year earlier, beating market expectations as a year-long

construction boom helped boost prices for building materials

from steel to copper pipes.

The following table shows rates for Asian currencies against

the dollar as of 0423 GMT.

CURRENCIES VS U.S. DOLLAR

Change on the day at

0423 GMT

Currency Latest bid Previous day Pct Move

Japan yen 111.920 111.84 -0.07

Sing dlr 1.351 1.3490 -0.16

Taiwan dlr 30.140 30.185 +0.15

Korean won 1126.400 1128.9 +0.22

Baht 33.070 33.1 +0.09

Rupiah 13478.000 13496 +0.13

Rupee 64.710 64.93 +0.34

Ringgit 4.217 4.22 +0.07

Yuan 6.577 6.5805 +0.06

Change so far

Currency Latest bid End 2016 Pct Move

Japan yen 111.920 117.07 +4.60

Sing dlr 1.351 1.4490 +7.24

Taiwan dlr 30.140 32.279 +7.10

Korean won 1126.400 1207.70 +7.22

Baht 33.070 35.80 +8.26

Rupiah 13478.000 13470 -0.06

Rupee 64.710 67.92 +4.96

Ringgit 4.217 4.4845 +6.34

Yuan 6.577 6.9467 +5.63

(Reporting by Ambar Warrick in Bengaluru; Editing by Eric

Meijer)