SE Asian Stocks-Singapore hit 1-wk low, after Wall St selloff

SINGAPORE, June 19 (Reuters) - Most Southeast Asian stock
markets fell on Thursday, with Singapore's benchmark index
.FTSTI hitting its lowest in about a week as banks and
property companies slipped.

Singapore's Straits Times Index ended down 1.6 percent,
Malaysian stocks .KLSE fell 1.3 percent, Thai shares .SETI
were off 3.04 percent, the Philippine index .PSI slipped 1.4
percent and Vietnam stocks dropped 2.3 percent.

But Indonesian stocks .JKSE edged up 0.4 percent.

Asian stocks across the region retreated, after the Dow
Jones industrial average .DJI closed at a three-month low,
sparking fears of a pullback in export demand with oil prices
remaining high and a rally in the U.S. dollar sputtering.

Losses in Singapore were led by banks such as United
Overseas Bank (UOBH.SI), down 2.4 percent, and property firms
such as City Developments (CTDM.SI) which dropped 3.6 percent.

"Earnings visibility in the near term will remain poor
while macro newsflow will likely get worse before it gets
better, weighing on market sentiment," said a dealer at a
European brokerage house in Singapore.

In Malaysia, Public Bank (PUBM.KL) fell 2.9 percent and TM
International TMIT.KL slipped 3.6 percent.

Dealers in Kuala Lumpur said political uncertainty was also
weighing on investor sentiment. A small party within the ruling
Barisan Nasional coalition said on Wednesday it will table a
no-confidence vote against Malaysian premier Abdullah Badawi,
fuelling fears of further political and economic fallout.

Political tensions were also running high in Thailand ahead
of an anti-government march on the Prime Minister's office on
Friday.

Thailands top energy firm PTT PTT.BK fell 3.3 percent,
after its associate IRPC IRPC.BK, The country's largest
fully-integrated petrochemical complex, said refining margins
at its 215,000 barrel-per-day refinery will be lower than last
year due to less profitable fuel oil. IRPC dipped 8 percent.

Manila Electric Co (MER.PS) fell 8.5 percent and Bank of
the Philippine Islands (BPI.PS) lost 4.1 percent.

In Jakarta, Bumi Resources (BUMI.JK) rose 4.4 percent and
Astra Agro Lestari (AALI.JK) gained 6.5 percent.
(Editing by Louise Heavens)