SE Asia Stocks-Gain as Sino-U.S. trade-talk plans boost riskier assets

* Singapore on track for a third straight gain * Philippines' August inflation below forecast * Thai index hits nearly one-month high By Shreya Mariam Job Sept 5 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian stock markets rose on Thursday after China confirmed it would hold high-level trade talks with the United States in early October, buoying investor hopes of a de-escalation in the festering trade dispute. China's Commerce Ministry said its trade team will consult with their U.S. counterparts in mid-September in preparation for negotiations in early October, hinting at progress in reducing trade friction. Broader Asian shares traded higher with MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan up 0.8%. Investors welcomed signs that plans to resolve the trade row were making headway, with a trade-dependent Thailand being the biggest gainer in the Southeast Asian region. The Thai index advanced to its highest in nearly a month. The country's main stock exchange had signed an agreement to develop an energy trading platform as part of a plan to become Southeast Asia's electricity trading hub. Top energy stocks PTT PCL and PTT Exploration and Production gained 1.7% and 3.4%, respectively. Progress on the trade front also sparked a rally in Singapore, with the benchmark index on track for a third straight session of gains. Shares of Jardine Strategic Holdings climbed 0.9%, while those of United Overseas Bank Ltd rose 1.2%. The city-state's economy has been one among the hardest hit by the protracted trade war, with economists surveyed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore slashing their economic growth forecast from a rise of 2.1% in the June survey to a 0.6% increase. Philippine stocks gained 0.6% after a slowing inflation cemented expectations of a third interest rate cut this year. The country's consumer price index rose 1.7% in August from a year earlier, the weakest pace in nearly three years and below the 1.8% forecast in a Reuters poll. "With inflation benign and two straight downside surprises to GDP growth, we also expect the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to cut its policy rate by a further 25bps in Q4 this year," ANZ said in a note to clients. Shares of Ayala Corp rose 1.2%, while those of real estate firm Megaworld Corp advanced 3.6%. Consumer and financial stocks boosted the Indonesian benchmark index, with Astra International Tbk Pt and Bank Mandiri Tbk Pt gaining over 1% each. Vietnam stocks also edged higher, backed by financial and real estate shares. For Asian Companies click; SOUTHEAST ASIAN STOCK MARKETS As at 0342 GMT Change on the day Market Current Previous close Pct Move Singapore 3150.25 3130.57 0.63 Bangkok 1670.49 1658.64 0.71 Manila 7888.05 7840.86 0.60 Jakarta 6296.734 6269.664 0.43 Kuala Lumpur 1601.95 1599.89 0.13 Ho Chi Minh 979.2 977.63 0.16 Change so far in 2019 Market Current End 2018 Pct Move Singapore 3150.25 3068.76 2.66 Bangkok 1670.49 1563.88 6.82 Manila 7888.05 7,466.02 5.65 Jakarta 6296.734 6,194.50 1.65 Kuala Lumpur 1601.95 1690.58 -5.24 Ho Chi Minh 979.2 892.54 9.71 (Reporting by Shreya Mariam Job in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)