SE Asia Stocks-Indonesian shares rise ahead of election
* Optimism about the election boosts Indonesian stocks
* Singapore shares consolidate, investors await earnings
* Investors cautious amid concerns about global economy
By Kevin Yao
SINGAPORE, July 7 (Reuters) - Indonesian shares rose on Tuesday as investors braced for President's Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's re-election this week to spearhead pre-growth policy, while other Southeast Asian stocks moved in tight ranges.
Investor sentiment remained cautious amid lingering doubts about the strength of the global economic recovery and ahead of the corporate earnings reporting season.
Indonesia's main stock index .JKSE rose 2.37 percent, a day before the election which is likely to hand President Yudhoyono another five years in office to push reforms to help attract foreign investment.
Gabriel Yap, senior dealer director at DMG & Partners in Singapore, said the market had priced in a victory for Yudhoyono in line with opinion polls but cautioned about any surprises.
"It will definitely be helpful for the share market," he said.
Consumer and banking stocks would benefit from a recovery in Indonesia's economy, one of the most resilient in Asia during the global economic slowdown, he added.
Indonesia's main stock index .JKSE has already rallied some 40 percent since April's parliamentary elections. For a story on possible market impacts from Indonesian poll, click: [ID:nJAK463002]
The MSCI index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS edged up 0.1 percent, with stocks in Taiwan rising but those in Shanghai falling.
It was a similar picture in Southeast Asia, with Philippine's index .PSI gaining 0.9 percent and Singapore' stocks .FTSTI edging up 0.3 percent, but Vietnam's stocks .VNI falling 1.46 percent while Thailand's shares .SETI sheding 0.5 percent.
"The market is pausing with investors waiting for corporate results. All the recent optimism has been given away after the U.S. jobs report," said a trader in Singapore.
Economists have voiced optimism that the world's biggest economy would start growing again this quarter, but a bleak U.S. employment report last week has prompted doubts over the stamina of the global recovery, spurring a sell-off in risky assets.
One of President Barack Obama's economic advisers said the United States should consider the need to top up the $787 billion rescue package passed early this year. [ID:nSP379268]
Oil CLc1 hovered near five-week lows, trading below $64 a barrel on doubts about an early global economic recovery. (Editing by Jan Dahinten)
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