EMERGING MARKETS-Asian currencies tick up after softer US inflation data

* Indonesian rupiah hits more than 7-month high * South Korean won leads gains in Asia * India central bank to extend rate-hike pause - poll By Navya Mittal April 13 (Reuters) - Most Asian currencies gained ground on Thursday after cooler-than-anticipated U.S inflation data fanned expectations that the Federal Reserve was near the end of its rate-hike cycle, while stock markets tracked Wall Street lower amid recession fears. The rupiah climbed 0.7%, hitting its highest since Aug. 26 and outperforming its Southeast Asian peers. The South Korean won appreciated more than 1%, while the Malaysian ringgit was up 0.2%. Consumer prices in the world's largest economy barely rose in March, while Federal Reserve officials flagged risks to the economy, which compounded troubles for the dollar index. "As long as banking sector stress remains subdued, we think the Fed will be inclined to deliver on its dot plot forecast by raising rates to 5.0-5.25%," BofA analysts wrote in a note. The Philippine peso edged lower after the country's central bank said it could pause its interest rate-hike cycle at next month's meeting as inflation eased. The central bank has raised rates by 425 basis points since last year to 6.25%. The peso is still relatively stable in familiar ranges after recent signals from monetary authorities that they are ready to use policy tools available to help stabilise inflation, said Michael L. Ricafort, chief economist at Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation. The Reserve Bank of India is expected to follow suit and is likely to extend a rate pause through year-end, according to a Reuters poll. The Indian rupee rose 0.1%, climbing for a second consecutive session. The country's retail inflation rose at the slowest annual pace in nearly 15 months in March, with the 5.66% gain lower than the central bank's upper tolerance level for the first time this year. Among stock markets in the region, Manila led the losses and hit its lowest since March 20. Equities in Taiwan and Jakarta lost 0.8% and 0.4%, respectively. Elsewhere in the region, China' crude oil imports in March surged to the highest for a single month since June 2020 as refiners stepped up runs in anticipation of an economic recovery. "The strong export growth is likely due to strengthened ties with EM countries and the continued healing of global supply chain," Goldman Sachs analysts wrote in a note. Highlights ** Sovereign debtors, creditors agree on steps to jumpstart debt restructurings ** Indonesian 10-year benchmark yields up 0.4 basis point at 6.643%​​ ** India c.bank begins evaluating potential bidders for IDBI Bank - sources Asia stock indexes and currencies at 0640 GMT COUNTRY FX RIC FX FX INDE STOCKS STOCKS DAILY % YTD % X DAILY YTD % % Japan -0.11 -1.61 <.N2 0.10 9.49 25> China EC> India +0.13 +0.91 <.NS -0.29 -1.90 EI> Indonesi +0.68 +5.35 <.JK -0.36 -1.11 a SE> Malaysia +0.17 -0.06 <.KL -0.18 -4.23 SE> Philippi -0.11 +0.71 <.PS -0.96 -2.42 nes I> S.Korea 11> Singapor +0.10 +0.98 <.ST 0.07 1.14 e I> Taiwan -0.01 +0.65 <.TW -0.80 11.79 II> Thailand - +1.04 <.SE - -4.55 TI> (Reporting by Navya Mittal in Bengaluru; Editing by Jamie Freed and Subhranshu Sahu)