SE Asia Stocks-Indonesia gains; market subdued ahead of Yellen speech

Aug 25 (Reuters) - Indonesian shares gained nearly 1 percent

on Thursday while other markets in the region were largely

lacklustre as investors awaited cues on U.S. interest rates from

Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen's speech on Friday.

Markets expect Yellen to outline a clearer time frame for

the next U.S. rate hike after strong housing data this week and

upbeat comments by other Fed officials, but many analysts expect

her to strike a more neutral stance.

Indonesian stocks posted their first gain in three sessions

led by utilities, with Perusahaan Gas Negara (Persero) Tbk PT

gaining 4.1 percent.

Harry Su, an analyst with Jakarta-based Bahana Securities,

attributed the gains to a technical rebound, adding that a rise

in emerging market exchange-traded funds(ETFs) helped Indonesian

ETFs, further boosting the market curve.

Market participants are still hoping that the tax amnesty

programme will be a success, propelling the market to be the

best performer in the region, Su added.

The Jakarta Composite Index had gained 17.7 percent

this year as of Wednesday's close.

Vietnamese shares eased after two sessions of gains

to end marginally lower, with energy shares tumbling on a

decline in global oil prices. Petrovietnam Gas Joint Stock

Corp ended 2.4 percent lower.

The market was cautious ahead of Yellen's speech, with the

weakness on Wall Street and lower commodity prices weighing on

sentiment, said Fiachra MacCana, head of research at Ho Chi Minh

Securities.

"There is a hint of nervousness in the air with investors

expecting the speech to lay out a possible rationale for a rate

hike before the year-end," MacCana said.

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SOUTHEAST ASIAN STOCK MARKETS

STOCK MARKETS

Change on day

Market Current Prev close Pct Move

Singapore 2876.93 2869.57 0.26

Bangkok 1544.1 1547.55 -0.22

Manila 7854.54 7866.13 -0.15

Jakarta 5454.116 5403.992 0.93

Kuala Lumpur 1680.3 1682.06 -0.10

Ho Chi Minh 658.5 660.77 -0.34

Change on year

Market Current End 2015 Pct Move

Singapore 2876.93 2882.73 -0.20

Bangkok 1544.1 1288.02 19.88

Manila 7854.54 6952.08 12.98

Jakarta 5454.116 4593.008 18.75

Kuala Lumpur 1680.3 1692.51 -0.72

Ho Chi Minh 658.5 579.03 13.72

(Reporting by Krishna V Kurup in Bengaluru; Editing by Sunil

Nair)