SE Asia Stocks-Edge higher; Philippines hits near 1-month high

* Philippines set for third straight gaining session

* Malaysia, Indonesia set for 4-day gaining streak

* Vietnam touches 8-month low, but recoups losses

By Karthika Suresh Namboothiri

July 12 (Reuters) - Most Southeast Asian stock markets edged

higher on Thursday, with the Philippines touching a near

one-month high and Indonesia extending gains for a fourth

session, as broader Asian peers recovered slightly from the

previous session's steep losses.

Asian shares outside Japan rose 0.3 percent,

erasing early losses, as negative sentiment over mounting

U.S.-China trade tensions eased.

"The U.S. China trade conflict has been gaining heavy

headlines for some time now. So basically I think most of the

investment negatives have been baked into the cake," Taye Shim,

head of research at Jakarta-based Mirae Asset Sekuritas.

Philippine shares extended gains to a third session,

rising 0.5 percent to their highest since June 18.

Real estate company Ayala Land was up as much as

2.6 percent, while Bank of the Philippine Islands

gained 3.4 percent.

Indonesian shares climbed for a fourth consecutive

session, up 0.6 percent.

Financials led the charge, with Bank Central Asia

up 2.5 percent and Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk up as

much as 0.8 percent.

The index of the country's 45 most liquid stocks

climbed 0.6 percent.

Singapore stocks inched 0.3 percent higher. United

Overseas Bank Ltd gained over 1 percent, while

casino-operator Genting Singapore was up as much as

3.3 percent.

The city-state's economy likely expanded at a slower pace in

the second quarter, with advance gross domestic product (GDP)

forecast to rise 4.0 percent in April-June from a year earlier.

The government's estimate is expected to be released on Friday.

Thai shares gained 0.5 percent, with gains in

materials stocks outweighing strong losses in the energy sector.

Siam cement was up 1.9 percent, while PTT Public Co

slipped 1.6 percent.

Malaysian shares gained 0.4 percent, climbing for a

fourth consecutive session.

Banks boosted the index as Public Bank Bhd and

Malayan Banking Bhd up 0.6 percent and 1.8 percent,

respectively.

Vietnam stocks slipped to their lowest in nearly

eight months, but recouped the losses and were trading

marginally higher.

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SOUTHEAST ASIAN STOCK MARKETS AS AT 0412 GMT

Market Current Previous close Pct Move

Singapore 3252.45 3249.08 0.10

Bangkok 1645.03 1636.63 0.51

Manila 7359.52 7333.73 0.35

Jakarta 5927.428 5893.359 0.58

Kuala Lumpur 1694.82 1688.77 0.36

Ho Chi Minh 894.79 893.16 0.18

Change on year

Market Current End 2017 Pct Move

Singapore 3252.45 3402.92 -4.42

Bangkok 1645.03 1753.71 -6.20

Manila 7359.52 8558.42 -14.01

Jakarta 5927.428 6355.654 -6.74

Kuala Lumpur 1694.82 1796.81 -5.68

Ho Chi Minh 894.79 984.24 -9.09

(Reporting by Karthika Suresh Namboothiri; Additional reporting

by Aditya Soni; Editing by Amrutha Gayathri)