SE Asia Stocks-Rise on hopes of trade deal deadline extension, monetary policy easing

* Malaysia posts third straight session of gains * Risk appetite widens on hopes of monetary easing * Singapore hits over 6-month closing high By Shreya Mariam Job Feb 20 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian stock markets closed higher on Wednesday, with Philippines leading the gains, on hopes of an extension to the deadline for a U.S.-China trade deal, and expected easing in monetary policies in the region. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that trade talks with China were going well and suggested he was open to pushing off the deadline to complete negotiations. Tariffs on $200 billion worth of imports from China - Southeast Asia's biggest trading partner - are scheduled to rise to 25 percent from 10 percent by March 1 if the world's two largest economies do not settle their trade dispute. Also, a slowing global economy and increasing strain on businesses from a year-long Sino-U.S. trade war are tilting central banks from Japan to Australia towards monetary easing in a remarkable 180 degree turn. With the U.S. Federal Reserve releasing minutes of their meeting later on Wednesday, expectations of Southeast Asian nations easing policies amid a dovish Fed, boosted investor sentiment. The Philippine index led gains in the region, ending 1.4 percent higher, driven by industrial and real estate stocks. SM Prime Holdings Inc and Ayala Land Inc rose 3.3 percent and 2.1 percent, respectively. Deputy governor of the Philippine central bank Diwa Guinigundo said on Tuesday the bank will act swiftly if it judges there is not enough liquidity in the financial system to maintain economic momentum, leading economists to expect some form of monetary easing. The Malaysian benchmark gained over 1 percent on the back of material and consumer stocks. Malaysia's Petronas Chemicals Group Bhd rose 2.8 percent after Spanish oil and gas firm Repsol said the company with its partners - Petronas and MOECO - discovered gas resources in Indonesia. The country's January consumer prices are expected to fall, the first decline in nearly a decade, amid a drop in domestic fuel prices, according to a Reuters poll. Singapore's index closed at its highest level in more than six months, boosted by utilities and telecom stocks. Shares of Capitaland Ltd rose to an over five-and- a-half-month closing high, after recording a 71.2 percent surge in fourth-quarter profit and the highest annual profit in a decade. Indonesia and Thai indexes firmed 0.3 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively, while the Vietnam benchmark gained 0.7 percent. For Asian Companies click; SOUTHEAST ASIAN STOCK MARKETS Change on the day Market Current Previous close Pct Move Singapore 3278.38 3259.8 0.57 Bangkok 1645.38 1635.71 0.59 Manila 7939.24 7833.75 1.35 Jakarta 6512.784 6494.667 0.28 Kuala Lumpur 1726.18 1706.56 1.15 Ho Chi Minh 970.58 964.35 0.65 Change so far in 2019 Market Current End 2018 Pct Move Singapore 3278.38 3068.76 6.83 Bangkok 1645.38 1563.88 5.21 Manila 7939.24 7,466.02 6.34 Jakarta 6512.784 6,194.50 5.14 Kuala Lumpur 1726.18 1690.58 2.11 Ho Chi Minh 970.58 892.54 8.74 (Reporting by Shreya Mariam Job in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich)