SE Asia Stocks-Investors decode Clinton-Trump debate; Philippines extends falls

By Anusha Ravindranath

Sept 27 (Reuters) - Philippine shares fell 1 percent to a

more than one-week low on Tuesday, dragged down by energy and

industrial stocks, while Vietnam stocks rallied for a seventh

straight session with financials leading the gains.

Other Southeast Asian stock markets were mixed as investors

decoded the first U.S. presidential debate between Democrat

Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump.

Clinton accused Trump of having a long history of racist

behaviour, while Trump said Clinton "doesn't have the stamina"

to be president.

Both Trump and Clinton, shown in opinion polls to be the

least liked White House candidates in modern history, hoped to

use the debate to erase lingering voter doubts and address

campaign-trail weaknesses.

"For me it was Hillary who won the debate, but only by a

slight margin," said Victor Felix, an analyst with AB Capital

Securities Inc in Manila.

"I think markets are reacting neutrally to the debate," he

said, adding that investors would probably wait for the next two

debates to get a clear picture of who might take the lead.

Philippine shares fell for a third straight session

with Petron Corp and Ayala Corp among the

bottom movers.

"We (Philippine markets) are dealing with our own political

noise here," said Victor Felix, adding that investors and

analysts would like to see President Rodrigo Duterte talking

more about growth and expansion, and less about drug-war and

killings.

The peso hit a fresh seven-year low against the

dollar, extending losses on concerns about the impact of

Duterte's policies on capital inflows and international

relations.

Vietnam shares touched a more than two-month peak

with Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Investment and Development

of Vietnam rising 3.5 percent.

Singapore shares rose with Singapore Airlines

and DBS Group Holdings among the top

gainers, while Indonesian shares fell for a second

straight session, weighed down by telecoms and financials.

Thai stocks rose marginally, driven by gains in

healthcare and industrial sectors.

For Asian Companies click;

SOUTHEAST ASIAN STOCK MARKETS

STOCK MARKETS

Change on the

day

Market Current previous Pct Move

close

Singapore 2856.37 2849.94 0.23

Bangkok 1493.92 1490.14 0.25

Manila 7551.21 7632.46 -1.06

Jakarta 5344.921 5352.139 -0.13

Kuala Lumpur 1663.29 1669.5 -0.37

Ho Chi Minh 680.65 677.04 0.53

Change so far

this year

Market Current End prev yr Pct Move

Singapore 2856.37 2882.73 -0.91

Bangkok 1493.92 1288.02 15.99

Manila 7551.21 6952.08 8.62

Jakarta 5344.921 4593.008 16.37

Kuala Lumpur 1663.29 1692.51 -1.73

Ho Chi Minh 680.65 579.03 17.55

(Reporting by Anusha Ravindranath in Bengaluru; Editing by

Subhranshu Sahu)