EM ASIA FX-Most Asian currencies weaken, Indian rupee leads declines

* Rupee slumps nearly 1 pct

* Yuan falls on weak Chinese trade data

(Adds text, updates prices)

By Niyati Shetty

Dec 10 (Reuters) - Most Asian currencies weakened against

the dollar on Monday as apprehension about slowing global growth

hampered risk sentiment, while the Indian rupee led declines on

rising oil prices.

The Indian rupee weakened almost 1 percent against

the greenback in early trade, hitting a near three-week low.

Rising oil prices fed rupee bears after the Organization of

the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and some non-affiliated

producers including Russia agreed to a supply cut from January.

Higher crude prices negatively impact currencies of net oil

importing countries like India and Indonesia, which have current

account deficits.

Government data on Friday showed India's current account

deficit in July-September hit its widest in more than four

years, due to the rise in oil prices and putting further

pressure on a depreciating rupee.

Investors were also wary of India's political landscape

after exit polls showed mixed results for Prime Minister

Narendra Modi's ruling party at recently held state elections.

The Indonesian rupiah slumped 0.5 percent, also hit

by rising oil prices.

"From the sentiment perspective, rising oil prices for sure

have put some pressure on the expectations of the rupiah," said

Fakhrul Fulvian, Economist at Trimegah Securities.

The rupee and rupiah are the worst performing currencies

among their Asian peers this year.

Meanwhile, worries about a slowdown in global growth also

hurt investor confidence.

U.S. jobs growth slowed in November, data released last

week showed, while monthly wages increased less than forecast,

suggesting some moderation in economic activity in the world's

largest economy.

"The emerging market currencies and bonds are proxies of

global growth so if growth went well, we should see some gains

in the emerging markets," Trimegah's Fulvian said. "But if

sentiment is on slower global growth going ahead...we should see

increasing risks in the emerging markets (next year)."

The Korean won shed about half a percent, while

the Philippine peso declined 0.2 percent ahead of the

central bank's policy meeting on Thursday.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas is widely expected to keep

interest rates steady with inflation seen easing further after

it slowed to a four-month low in November.

Analysts at Mizuho bank say core inflation, which excludes

volatile food and fuel items, points to persistent underlying

inflationary pressures.

Elsewhere, the Taiwan dollar and the Malaysian

ringgit also weakened slightly against the dollar.

CHINESE YUAN

The yuan fell 0.3 percent on Monday after weak Chinese trade

data over the weekend reflected slower global and domestic

demand, aggravating global growth concerns.

China reported far weaker than expected November exports and

imports, showing the effect of U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods and

raising the possibility that authorities will take further

measures to support the economy.

Analysts polled by Reuters expect the yuan to breach the

psychologically important 7 per dollar benchmark over the next

six months, on expectations of weaker growth and more policy

easing by the People's Bank of China.

The following table shows rates for Asian currencies against

the dollar at 0521 GMT.

CURRENCIES VS U.S. DOLLAR

Currency Latest bid Previous day Pct Move

Japan yen 112.460 112.72 +0.23

Sing dlr 1.370 1.3696 -0.04

Taiwan dlr 30.871 30.841 -0.10

Korean won 1126.000 1119.8 -0.55

Peso 52.780 52.682 -0.19

Rupiah 14530.000 14465 -0.45

Rupee 71.385 70.80 -0.82

Ringgit 4.168 4.164 -0.10

Yuan 6.893 6.8748 -0.26

Change so far in 2018

Currency Latest bid End 2017 Pct Move

Japan yen 112.460 112.67 +0.19

Sing dlr 1.370 1.3373 -2.39

Taiwan dlr 30.871 29.848 -3.31

Korean won 1126.000 1070.50 -4.93

Peso 52.780 49.93 -5.40

Rupiah 14530.000 13565 -6.64

Rupee 71.385 63.87 -10.53

Ringgit 4.168 4.0440 -2.98

Yuan 6.893 6.5069 -5.60

(Reporting by Niyati Shetty in Bengaluru; Editing by Sam

Holmes)