SE Asia Stocks-Indonesia at 2-wk high ahead of trade, inflation data

BANGKOK, April 1 (Reuters) - Indonesian shares rose almost 2

percent on Tuesday ahead of trade and inflation data, with

investors building positions in banks and large-caps while the

Thai index trimmed gains as Siam Cement and Shin Corp

traded ex-dividend.

Jakarta's Composite Index rose to 4,856.33, the

highest since March 18, amid active buying in shares of Bank

Mandiri, Bank Rakyat Indonesia and Astra

International.

Indonesia's trade balance is expected to have reverted to a

modest surplus in February on a recovery in commodity prices,

while inflation in March may have eased due to moderating food

prices, a Reuters poll showed.

"We believe a surplus trade balance will be positive for

domestic cyclicals, particularly banks," broker Trimegah

Securities said in a daily strategy note.

The Thai SET index edged up 0.03 percent at 1,376.74

amid selective buying in shares of major banks such as Bangkok

Bank while industrial conglomerate Siam Cement and

telecoms group Shin Corporation were among the top losers.

The market is expected to be range-bound, trading at

1,370-1,380 amid an investigation into alleged corruption in the

government's rice pledging scheme, according to strategists at

broker Maybank Kim Eng Securities.

Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Monday defended

herself against negligence charges linked to a ruinous

government rice pledging scheme that could lead to her removal

from office.

Thailand will announce its March inflation data, expected to

rise slightly to 2.2 percent, the highest since last June,

around 0400 GMT.

Stocks in the region traded mixed in a narrow band, with

Singapore up 0.4 percent while Malaysia and

Vietnam fell into negative territory as MSCI's broadest

index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose

slightly by 0.3 percent.

Sentiment in Asian shares was positive after China's

official PMI survey showed manufacturing managed to continue

expanding in March, and dovish comments from Federal Reserve

Chair Janet Yellen.

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SOUTHEAST ASIAN STOCK MARKETS

Change at 0338 GMT

Market Current Prev Close Pct Move

TR SE Asia Index* 411.45 409.08 +0.58

Singapore 3200.47 3188.62 +0.37

Kuala Lumpur 1843.30 1849.21 -0.32

Bangkok 1376.74 1376.26 +0.03

Jakarta 4856.33 4768.28 +1.87

Manila 6482.49 6428.71 +0.84

Ho Chi Minh 588.72 591.57 -0.48

* The Thomson Reuters South East Asia Index is a

highly representative indicator of stocks listed in Indonesia,

Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

(Reporting by Viparat Jantraprap; Editing by Sunil Nair)