SE Asia Stocks-Mostly edge lower ahead of U.S. job data

* Thailand ends four-day rise as big stocks go ex-div

* Others also lower, with the exception of Vietnam

By Viparat Jantraprap

BANGKOK, March 4 (Reuters) - Most Southeast Asian stock
markets dipped on Thursday, nervously following U.S. stock
index futures down a day ahead of U.S. job data for February.

A recent rally in the main Thai index .SETI ended as big
energy firms such as PTT and PTT Chemical traded ex-dividend,
pushing the market down 0.57 percent, but foreigners continued
to buy, taking a net 1.3 billion baht ($40 million) of stock.

U.S. stock index futures .DJHO were down 0.1 percent at
0914 GMT, the same as the MSCI index of Asian shares outside
Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS.

"There was selling across the region because markets
shifted their focus to the U.S. unemployment rate and
expectations were quite bearish," said Chaiyaporn
Nompitakcharoen, head of research at Bualuang Securities in
Bangkok.

Singapore .FTSTI was down 0.5 percent, Malaysia .KLSE
eased 0.16 percent, Indonesia .JKSE inched down 0.06 percent
and the Philippines .PSI dropped 1.15 percent. Vietnam .VNI
bucked the trend, rising for a second day, by 0.9 percent.

"The Thai market was specifically weighed down by the loss
in PTT, which traded ex-dividend on the day. Apart from that,
there was good selective buying today," Chaiyaporn said.

PTT PTT.BK, the country's largest energy firm and the
market's biggest stock, dropped 2.5 percent. The company will
pay a dividend of 4.50 baht for its second-half 2009 earnings.

PTT units were among other shares trading ex-dividend on
the day, with PTT Chemical PTTC.BK down 0.3 percent and top
oil refiner Thai Oil TOP.BK dropping 2.3 percent.

In Singapore, Wilmar International (WLIL.SI) dropped 2.7
percent to S$6.49 after broker Citi lowered its target price
for the world's largest palm oil producer to S$6.32, factoring
in a revision to earnings and the latest net debt position.
[ID:nSGE62204P]

In Kuala Lumpur, financial AMMB Holdings (AMMB.KL) was down
2.2 percent and Petronas (PETR.KL) slid 3.2 percent.

Financials were among decliners in Jakarta, with Bank
Rakyat (BBRI.JK) down 1.2 percent and Bank Negara (BBNI.JK)
down 1.6 percent.

Indonesia's central bank maintained that it would keep its
benchmark overnight rate at a record low of 6.5 percent this
year if inflation was within its 4-6 percent target range,
deputy governor Hartadi Sarwono told Reuters. [ID:nJKB003483]

In Manila, San Miguel Corp (SMC.PS) was down 0.14 percent
as the food-to-power conglomerate said it was in discussions to
acquire a majority interest in a major mass railway transit
project in Manila. [ID:nSGE6230CV]

"We retreated, although we had expected a sideways session.
We're expecting some market reaction to February inflation data
that is to be released tomorrow," said Grace Cerdenia, research
head at F. Yap Securities

Metro Pacific Investments Corp (MPI.PS) gained 1.7 percent
after the conglomerate reported a surge in 2009 net profit.

"Investors are considering the stock to be a good long-term
investment in view of the several infrastructure undertakings
that it's venturing into," Cerdenia said.

In Vietnam, Petrovietnam PVD.HM rose 3.4 percent and
Vietinbank CTG.HM gained 1.9 percent.
($1 = 32.64 Baht)
(Additional reporting by Alex McCaskill in Manila; Editing by
Alan Raybould)