SE Asia Stocks-Malaysia hits over 3-mth low; most wary on slowdown woes

* Worries remain over impending U.S. recession * Asia shares ex-Japan falls 0.2 pct * Philippines falls most in the region By Shanima A March 27 (Reuters) - The Malaysian stock market hit a more than three-month low on Wednesday, with most Southeast Asian indexes remaining subdued in thin trade, tracking weakness in broader Asia due to continued caution over global economic slowdown worries. Adding to the steep sell-offs since Friday, the yield curve remained inverted, though the 10-year U.S. Treasuries yield inched up to as high as 2.432 percent from Monday's 15-month low of 2.377 percent, leaving the markets nervous about the economic slowdown. "Overall, there are worries about U.S. curve inversion, and I think that's the reason people are concerned," said Joel Ng, an analyst at KGI Securities. "There is still a little cautiousness in the market, and at this moment we don't see much participation in the market too, the volumes aren't that great." MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.2 percent. Leading the losses in the region, the Philippine benchmark declined about 0.4 percent, hurt by financials and industrials stocks. Shares of Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co fell as much as 2 percent. The Malaysian index fell nearly 0.5 percent to its lowest since Dec. 20, before paring some of the losses. Banking stocks were among the biggest drags on the index with Public Bank Bhd dropping 1.2 percent and CIMB Group Holdings Bhd falling to its lowest in 1 year. Meanwhile, data from the United States showed that consumer confidence declined in March with homebuilding falling more than expected in February, pointing towards a slowdown in economic activity. "Soft economic data reminded us that a global cyclical downswing is hitting the U.S. as well, although to a lesser extent," said Margaret Yang, markets analyst at CMC Markets, Singapore, in a note. In Indonesia, consumer staples and real estate stocks weighed most on the benchmark index. It fell 0.2 percent. However bucking the trend, the Vietnam index rose 0.6 percent, helped by real estate stocks. On Tuesday, Vietnam Ministry of Planning and Investment said the country received $4.1 billion in foreign direct investments (FDI) in the first quarter of this year, up 6.2 percent from a year earlier. Singapore's index was up 0.3 percent, buoyed by financials stocks. United Overseas Bank Ltd rose as much as 1 percent while DBS Group Holdings Ltd added 0.6 percent. For Asian Companies click; SOUTHEAST ASIAN STOCK MARKETS AS AT 0401 GMT Market Current Previous close Pct Move Singapore 3209.11 3200.28 0.28 Bangkok 1625.72 1632.32 -0.40 Manila 7873.21 7907.03 -0.43 Jakarta 6455.997 6469.999 -0.22 Kuala Lumpur 1643.47 1649.94 -0.39 Ho Chi Minh 975.72 969.79 0.61 Change so far in 2019 Market Current End 2018 Pct Move Singapore 3209.11 3068.76 4.57 Bangkok 1625.72 1563.88 3.95 Manila 7873.21 7,466.02 5.45 Jakarta 6455.997 6,194.50 4.22 Kuala Lumpur 1643.47 1690.58 -2.79 Ho Chi Minh 975.72 892.54 9.32 (Reporting by Shanima A in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich)