SE Asia Stocks-Most rise; U.S. inflation data awaited

* U.S. inflation data due later on Tuesday

* Most indexes recover to end higher

* Indonesia drops 1.4 percent

By Aaron Saldanha

March 13 (Reuters) - Most Southeast Asian stock markets

recovered from early falls to close higher on Tuesday, in line

with broader Asia, but the gains were limited ahead of U.S.

inflation data which could provide cues about the pace of

interest rate hikes in the world's largest economy.

February's consumer price inflation data is due later in the

global day, and follows low wage growth numbers last week, which

eased concerns about inflation and over a faster pace of rate

hikes by the Federal Reserve.

Investors are on the look out for Tuesday's U.S. inflation

report as well as China's industrial output and retail sales

data for February due on Wednesday, said Fio Dejesus, an equity

research analyst at RCBC Securities.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan

was up 0.2 percent after spending much of the

day swerving in and out of negative territory.

In Southeast Asia, Malaysian shares gained on

financials and consumer staples. Public Bank Bhd rose

1.5 percent.

Singapore shares rose 0.4 percent, helped by real

estate and financial stocks.

DBS Group Holdings Ltd gained 1.2 percent, while

Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp Ltd added 1 percent.

Thai shares climbed for a second consecutive session

after declining for eight sessions through Friday. PTT Pcl

was the biggest boost to the benchmark, with a rise of

1.4 percent.

Indonesian shares dropped 1.4 percent in broad-based

losses. Telekomunikasi Indonesia lost 2.6 percent.

An index of the country's 45 most liquid stocks

fell 1.7 percent.

Philippine shares fell, hurt by losses in real estate

and financial stocks. BDO Unibank Inc declined 2.5

percent.

When the U.S. rate hike occurs, "international fund managers

may be more risk averse, which would mean foreign selling. The

typical proxy stocks are also the most heavily weighted (in the

benchmark)," said RCBC Securities' Dejesus.

"When names like Ayala Land, SM Investments Corp fall, then

you would see the index go further in the red."

For Asian Companies click;

SOUTHEAST ASIAN STOCK MARKETS: Change on the day

Market Current Previous close Pct Move

Singapore 3553.73 3540.19 0.38

Bangkok 1809.9 1800.32 0.53

Manila 8419.57 8453.5 -0.40

Jakarta 6412.846 6500.686 -1.35

Kuala Lumpur 1864.03 1861.22 0.15

Ho Chi Minh 1133.31 1126.29 0.62

Change on year

Market Current End 2017 Pct Move

Singapore 3553.73 3402.92 4.43

Bangkok 1809.9 1753.71 3.20

Manila 8419.57 8558.42 -1.62

Jakarta 6412.846 6355.654 0.90

Kuala Lumpur 1864.03 1796.81 3.74

Ho Chi Minh 1133.31 984.24 15.15

(Reporting by Aaron Saldanha in Bengaluru; Editing by

Subhranshu Sahu)