SE Asia Stocks-Financials rebound; S'pore bounces from 1-wk low
* Banks lead gainers in Singapore, elsewhere in region
* Malaysia near 2-week highs; Manila almost at 1-month high
* Vietnam bucks the trend, falling to 6-week low
By Viparat Jantraprap
BANGKOK, July 14 (Reuters) - Most Southeast Asian stock markets gained ground on Tuesday, with Singapore bouncing from a one-week low after strong second-quarter economic data and Malaysia near a two-week high, with financials among advancers.
However, continuing concern about the pace of the global economic recovery would continue to keep Asian shares in check, dealers said, although a rally in U.S. stocks helped revive buying interest on the day.
Singapore's index .FTSTI rose 1.9 percent, erasing Monday's 1.8 percent fall as banks recouped recent losses after news the city state had recovered from its worst recession and upgraded its economic outlook due to rising drug output and construction.
DBS Group (DBSM.SI), Southeast Asia's biggest lender, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp (OCBC.SI) and United Overseas Bank (UOBH.SI) each gained more than 2 percent.
Financial buying also pushed Malaysia's main index .KLSE
up 1.5 percent to its highest level since July 2, with
Bumiputra-Commerce BUCM.KL and Public Bank (PUBM.KL) climbing
more than 3 percent each.
Thailand's SET index .SETI jumped 2.7 percent as banks rebounded from Monday's sell-off caused by expectations of a fall in second-quarter earnings.
"Fundamentally, Thai stocks are expensive but external sentiment will continue to lead the local market," said Viwat Techapoonpol, a strategist at Tisco Securities.
"Share prices globally are also pricey. The strong rebound today came after recent sell-offs and on some upbeat earnings expectations," he said.
Bangkok Bank BBL.BK gained 3.1 percent and Siam
Commercial Bank SCB.BK jumped 6.2 percent. Siam Cement
(SCC.BK), which is expected to report good quarterly results
late this month, jumped to a two-week high and closed up 5.3
percent.
Shares in Thai energy firms also tracked a bounce in oil prices, with PTT (PTT.BK) up 3.3 percent, PTT Exploration and Production (PTTE.BK) up 3.3 percent and Banpu BANP.BK up 3 percent.
Indonesia .JKSE ended up 1.8 percent, with bank and energy shares leading advancers. The second largest lender, Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BBRI.JK), rose 4.6 percent and the largest coal producer by market value, PT Adaro Energy Tbk (ADRO.JK), jumped 5.5 percent.
The Philippine index .PSI, which earlier gained as much as 1.2 percent to its highest since June 16, ended 0.4 percent higher, with conglomerate Ayala Corp (AC.PS) rising 1.9 percent and subsidiary Ayala Land (ALI.PS) climbing 1.2 percent.
Bucking the trend, Vietnam .VNI fell for a sixth day, dropping 1.9 percent to its lowest since June 1, with Bao Viet Holdings BVH.HM, the largest insurer, down 5 percent and PVFC PVF.HM, the financial arm of Petrovietnam, down 4.3 percent. ($1=34.12 Baht) (Editing by Alan Raybould)
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