Thai stocks skid on political uncertainty; BSP awaited
Thai stocks fall 0.8%
BSP rate decision due later in the day
U.S. consumer price grew at a slower rate
By Rajasik Mukherjee and Echha Jain
Aug 15 (Reuters) -Thai markets slipped on Thursday, weighed down by the dismissal of the country's incumbent prime minister which has sparked fears of political instability in the Southeast Asian country.
The Thai baht THB=TH, which has depreciated around 3% so far this year, lost 0.1% while stocks in Bangkok .SETI shed 0.8%. Thai stocks are down 9.4% this year - the worst performing Asian stock market after falling 15% last year.
On Wednesday, Thailand's Constitutional Court dismissed Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and ruled he "grossly" violated ethics by appointing a minister who was once jailed, raising the spectre of political upheaval and a shake-up in the governing alliance.
"The removal, after less than a year in office, throws Thailand into further political uncertainty, which we expect to negatively impact investor sentiment," DBS analysts wrote in a note.
Meanwhile, global markets scrutinised the U.S. inflation reading which showed consumer prices grew moderately in July, firming expectations the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates soon.
Philippine stocks .PSI inched 0.2% higher while the peso PHP= slipped 0.1% ahead of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) key rate decision later in the day.
"The policy meeting is a very close call, with 13 out of 23 economists (including ourselves) calling for a 25bps rate cut, while the rest are calling for a hold," MUFG analysts wrote in a note.
The Chinese yuan CNY=CFXS shed 0.2% while Shanghai stocks .SSEC gained around 1%.
China's factory output growth in July missed expectations adding to concerns the recovery in the world's second-largest economy remains fragile.
The country's central bank also injected $81 billion cash through a short-term bond instrument.
Malaysia's ringgit MYR=, the best performing regional currency so far this year, lost 0.2% while stocks in Kuala Lumpur .KLSE slipped 0.1% ahead of gross domestic product data due on Friday.
A Reuters poll showed Malaysia's economy likely grew at its fastest pace in 18 months in the second quarter of 2024
Among other markets in emerging Asia, the Indonesian rupiah slipped 0.2% while Jakarta stocks .JKSE fell 0.4%.
Singapore's dollar SGD= depreciated 0.1% against the greenback while local equities .STI gained 0.7%.
South Korean and Indian markets are closed for public holidays.
HIGHLIGHTS:
** Indonesia's July exports up 6.5% y/y, beating forecast
** Japan's Nikkei rises on solid economic growth, US cues
** Thailand's Pheu Thai party to decide PM candidate as parliamentary vote looms
Asia stock indexes and currencies as of 0432 GMT | ||||||
COUNTRY | FX RIC | FX DAILY % | FX YTD % | INDEX | STOCKS DAILY % | STOCKS YTD % |
Japan | JPY= | +0.03 | -4.22 | .N225 | 0.94 | 9.89 |
China | CNY=CFXS | -0.22 | -0.80 | .SSEC | 1.04 | -3.18 |
India | INR=IN | - | -0.88 | .NSEI | - | 11.10 |
Indonesia | IDR= | -0.19 | -1.97 | .JKSE | -0.36 | 1.88 |
Malaysia | MYR= | -0.23 | +3.73 | .KLSE | -0.10 | 10.73 |
Philippines | PHP= | -0.11 | -2.85 | .PSI | 0.20 | 4.16 |
S.Korea | KRW=KFTC | - | -5.01 | .KS11 | - | -0.41 |
Singapore | SGD= | -0.11 | +0.16 | .STI | 0.71 | 2.14 |
Taiwan | TWD=TP | +0.02 | -4.84 | .TWII | -0.09 | 22.74 |
Thailand | THB=TH | -0.09 | -2.61 | .SETI | -0.80 | -9.43 |
Graphic: World FX rates https://tmsnrt.rs/2RBWI5E
Asian stock markets https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4
Reporting by Rajasik Mukherjee & Echha Jain in Bengaluru; Editing by Jacqueline Wong
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