SE Asia Stocks-Higher; Singapore hits 18-month top

By Susan Mathew

Feb 22 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian markets ended higher on

Wednesday, tracking Asian shares that rose taking cues from

upbeat factory activity in Europe and solid earnings overnight

on Wall Street.

Strong results by Wal-Mart and Home Depot

drove U.S. indexes higher on Tuesday, while euro zone business

growth hit its fastest since April 2011.

"Regional markets are just tracking the U.S. markets higher.

The U.S. markets gained half a percent on Tuesday, so it's just

tracking that," said an analyst from Singapore, who did not wish

to be named.

Singapore rose nearly 1 percent to close at its

highest in more than 18 months, led by the oil and gas and

financial sectors.

United Overseas Bank and Keppel Corp

both climbed more than 2 percent.

Philippine shares closed up 0.3 percent, pushed

higher by a rally in Ayala Land towards close of trade.

Shares of Ayala Land rose 3.4 percent to their highest close in

nearly 4 months.

Investors are "positioning ahead of release of quarterly

earnings, which are trickling in slowly," said Jose Vistan, an

analyst at Manila-based AB Capital Securities. "If you are to

position on the market being positive you obviously want to go

with the industry leaders and Ayala Land is one of them."

Thai shares ended 0.5 percent higher, with TIPCO

Asphalt up 7 percent. Natural gas company Scan Inter

climbed 5.6 percent after it reported a 36.6 percent

jump in full-year net profit.

Indonesian shares ended the day 0.3 percent higher,

with consumer stocks Hanjaya Mandala Sampoerna adding

1.3 percent and Astra International rising 0.6

percent.

Vietnam and Malaysia eked out small gains.

Asian shares rose, with MSCI's broadest index of

Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan up 0.6 percent

as of 0950 GMT.

For Asian Companies click;

SOUTHEAST ASIAN STOCK MARKETS: CHANGE ON DAY

Market Current Previous Pct Move

Close

Singapore 3122.2 3094.19 0.91

Bangkok 1572.04 1564.42 0.49

Manila 7304.45 7282.68 0.30

Jakarta 5358.683 5340.99 0.33

Kuala Lumpur 1708.08 1706.55 0.09

Ho Chi Minh 717.24 716.55 0.10

Change on year

Market Current End 2016 Pct Move

Singapore 3122.2 2880.76 8.38

Bangkok 1572.04 1542.94 1.89

Manila 7304.45 6840.64 6.8

Jakarta 5358.683 5296.711 1.17

Kuala Lumpur 1708.08 1641.73 4.04

Ho Chi Minh 717.24 644.87 11.2

(Reporting by Susan Mathew in Bengaluru; Editing by Biju

Dwarakanath)