SE Asia Stocks-Eke out small gains; Singapore falls

Feb 20 (Reuters) - Most Southeast Asian stock markets edged

up in thin trade on Monday, mirroring mild gains in Asian

shares, with investors cautious in the absence of firm triggers

ahead of a busy week for U.S. Federal Reserve events.

On the interest rates front, no less than five heads of

regional Federal Reserve banks are due to speak this week while

Fed Board Governor Jerome Powell appears on Wednesday, when

minutes of the last policy meeting are also due.

Separately, in a speech in Singapore on Monday, Cleveland

Federal Reserve President Loretta Mester said she would be

comfortable raising interest rates at this point if the economy

maintained its current pace of performance.

Philippine shares rose 0.5 percent as investors

hunted for bargains, with total volumes at about 73 percent of

their 30-day average.

State-owned PTT Exploration and Production PCL

ended 2.2 percent higher, while Thai Oil PCL was up 1.3

percent.

Foreign investors net sold 393.8 million pesos ($7.82

million) worth of shares.

The Philippine peso earlier slipped to its lowest

level in over a decade, undermining dollar-based returns for

foreign investors.

In Thailand, the key SET index crept higher, helped

by energy and basic materials stocks, which benefited as the

dollar slipped.

The index, which opened about 0.2 percent higher, quickly

lost all gains to trade lower for most of the session after the

country's planning agency reported poor economic data for the

fourth quarter. [

Indonesian shares finished 0.2 percent higher, led

by energy and consumer cyclical stocks.

Automotive business Astra International was up 0.6

percent, while United Tractors and Adaro Energy

added more than 2 percent each.

Singapore shares however fell 0.4 percent, with

industrials such as Jardine Matheson Holdings dropping

1.7 percent.

Financial firms DBS Group and United Overseas Bank

shed 0.5 percent and 0.3 percent, respectively.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan

was up 0.2 percent as of 1031 GMT.

For Asian Companies click;

SOUTHEAST ASIAN STOCK MARKETS: Change on day

Market Current Previous Pct Move

Close

Singapore 3096.69 3107.65 -0.35

Bangkok 1578.47 1577.84 0.04

Manila 7281.19 7244.79 0.50

Jakarta 5359.288 5350.932 0.16

Kuala Lumpur 1712.58 1707.68 0.29

Ho Chi Minh 710.59 707.83 0.39

Change on year

Market Current End 2016 Pct Move

Singapore 3096.69 2880.76 7.50

Bangkok 1578.47 1542.94 2.30

Manila 7281.19 6840.64 6.40

Jakarta 5359.288 5296.711 1.18

Kuala Lumpur 1712.58 1641.73 4.32

Ho Chi Minh 710.59 664.87 6.90

($1 = 50.3780 Philippine pesos)

(Reporting by Rushil Dutta; Editing by Biju Dwarakanath)