Taiwan stocks hit 3 month high amid tepid Asian shares, FX inches higher
Taiwan stocks jump 2.9%
Asia EM stocks set for weekly gains
Regional FX on track for weekly declines
By Ayushman Ojha and Adwitiya Srivastava
Oct 18 (Reuters) -Taiwan shares jumped to their highest levels in three months, boosted by the chipmaker TSMC hitting a record high on upbeat earnings, while most other Asian stock markets were mixed on concerns of a slowdown in the Chinese economy, but headed for weekly gains.
Taiwanese stocks .TWII climbed as much as 2.9% to their highest level since mid July, as Taipei-listed shares of chip giant TSMC 2330.TW reached an all-time high after posting forecast-beating third-quarter earnings.
Data from China showed that its economy grew at the slowest pace since early 2023 in the third quarter as a tumbling property sector remains a major challenge for Beijing.
Stocks in Bangkok .SETI rose marginally by 0.1%, but logged a weekly gain of about 1.8%, its highest since late September.
Indonesian equities .JKSE gained about 2.8% for the week, logging their best week since mid-May, while Manila stocks .PSI were set to gain over 1% for the week.
Meanwhile, most Asian currencies inched higher on Friday but were set to fall for the week as the dollar was set for its third weekly gain on the back of strong U.S. data including the recent stronger-than-expected retail sales and lower-than-expected jobless claims.
The Philippine peso PHP= was 0.4% higher, but was set for its fourth consecutive weekly fall, while the Malaysian ringgit MYR= was heading for its third consecutive weekly decline.
The South Korean won KRW=KFTC inched up 0.1%, but was on track to lose for third consecutive week with a 1.5% fall.
In contrast, the Thai baht THB=TH was set to gain marginally this week, while the Indonesian rupiah IDR= was set to gain 0.7% weekly.
Earlier in the week, the Bank of Thailand (BOT) surprisingly cut its key interest rate, while the Philippine central bank lowered rates and Bank Indonesia maintained the status quo as expected.
The BOT will hold its key interest rate at 2.25% at its final policy meeting for the year in December, according to a Reuters poll.
"The fact that currencies remain under a little bit of pressure is a deterrent to some central banks from further easing. That's particularly the case for those central banks who are more concerned about that," said Robert Carnell, regional head of research, Asia Pacific at ING.
"Bank Indonesia is more concerned about their currency than Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas."
Investors now await for Malaysia to report its advance estimates for third-quarter GDP on Oct. 21.
HIGHLIGHTS:
** China's Q3 GDP hits weakest pace since early 2023, backs calls for more stimulus
** Bank of Thailand to hold rates at 2.25% for rest of this year, cut in Q1
Asian currencies and stocks at 0500 GMT | ||||||
COUNTRY | FX RIC | FX DAILY % | FX YTD % | INDEX | STOCKS DAILY % | STOCKS YTD % |
Japan | JPY= | +0.19 | -5.90 | .N225 | 0.01 | 16.29 |
China | CNY=CFXS | +0.06 | -0.30 | .SSEC | 0.67 | 7.25 |
India | INR=IN | -0.01 | -1.03 | .NSEI | -0.35 | 13.49 |
Indonesia | IDR= | +0.16 | -0.45 | .JKSE | 0.01 | 6.37 |
Malaysia | MYR= | +0.07 | +6.64 | .KLSE | 0.34 | 13.22 |
Philippines | PHP= | +0.35 | -3.87 | .PSI | -0.03 | 14.69 |
S.Korea | KRW=KFTC | +0.10 | -6.07 | .KS11 | -0.71 | -2.43 |
Singapore | SGD= | +0.03 | +0.43 | .STI | 0.25 | 12.16 |
Taiwan | TWD=TP | +0.02 | -4.44 | .TWII | 1.68 | 30.73 |
Thailand | THB=TH | +0.06 | +3.12 | .SETI | 0.17 | 5.78 |
Graphic: World FX rates https://tmsnrt.rs/2RBWI5E
Asian stock markets https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4
Reporting by Ayushman Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Stephen Coates
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