SE Asia Stocks -Indonesia hits all-time high; dividend stocks strong in region

BANGKOK, March 2 (Reuters) - Indonesia's stock index hit an

all-time high on Monday amid selective buying in banking and

consumer shares, while dividend- yielding stocks outperformed in

other Southeast Asian markets.

The Jakarta composite index was up 0.3 percent at

5,468.68 after climbing to its record high of 5,473.89, with

shares of retailer Matahari Putra Prima, Bank Central

Asia and Astra International actively

traded.

Broker Trimegah Securities said February inflation data was

supportive to sectors such as bank and auto.

"A deflation would be positive for interest rate-sensitive

sectors," it said in a report.

Indonesia's annual inflation in February eased more than

expected to 6.29 percent, due to falling prices of fuel and

chillies, data released by the statistics bureau showed early on

Monday.

Bangkok's SET index was down 0.2 percent in mixed

trading after earnings and dividend reports.

Shares of electronics parts maker SVI snapped a

two-session winning streak after a dividend suspension, while

telecoms firm Jasmine International gained 1.1 percent

on strong dividend payouts.

Thailand will release February inflation data later in the

day. The consumer price index for the month is expected to show

a fall of 0.33 percent from year-ago levels, following a 0.41

percent drop in January, a Reuters poll showed.

The Philippine main index traded a tad higher after

modest loss earlier in the day, Malaysia's index fell

after two sessions of gains and Singapore's Straits Times Index

headed for a third straight fall.

Bucking the trend, shares of Singapore-listed Thai Beverage

Pcl jumped 2.1 percent. OCBC Investment Research

upgraded the stock to 'buy', citing an attractive 2014 dividend

payment.

Vietnam's benchmark VN Index was down 0.6 percent

amid lack of buying support from foreign investors.

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SOUTHEAST ASIAN STOCK MARKETS

Change at 0711 GMT

Market Current Prev Close Pct Move

Singapore 3400.45 3402.86 -0.07

Kuala Lumpur 1817.55 1821.21 -0.20

Bangkok 1583.48 1587.01 -0.22

Jakarta 5468.68 5450.29 +0.34

Manila 7739.39 7730.57 +0.11

Ho Chi Minh 588.76 592.57 -0.64

(Reporting by Viparat Jantraprap; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)