* Graphic: World FX rates http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh
* Graphic: Foreign flows into Asian stocks https://tmsnrt.rs/3lKhL5I
* S. Korean stocks fall most in three weeks
* Indian shares set to snap a 9-day winning streak
* Thai economic outlook highly uncertain - c.bank
By Shriya Ramakrishnan
Oct 14 (Reuters) - South Korean, Indian and Thai shares led
declines in Asia on Wednesday, as a halt in more COVID-19
vaccine trials and concerns over China's property sector added
to potential headwinds for the region's emerging markets.
Eli Lilly and Co LLY.N joined Johnson & Johnson JNJ.N in
pausing the clinical trial of its COVID-19 antibody treatment
due to a safety concern, dragging Asian equities lower in line
with their U.S. counterparts and prompting a shift to safer
assets.
Property firms led losses in Chinese stocks on mounting
pressures for raising fresh cash under the government's new
debt-ratio caps, pushing the Shanghai Composite index .SSEC
down about 0.5%.
Shares in South Korea .KS11 closed nearly 1% lower, but
the won KRW=KFTC managed to stay firmly in the positive
territory during the day, drawing support from the central
bank's decision to hold policy rates at a historic low of 0.5%.
"The market is evidently still very much sensitive to the
twists and turns of the vaccine development and perhaps now more
than ever still lacking another fiscal injection to plug the gap
into the year-end," said Jingyi Pan, senior market strategist at
trading firm IG Asia.
Singapore's FTSE Straits Times Index .STI fell 0.6%, while
Thai shares .SETI dropped 0.9% on resuming trade after a
holiday.
Bearish comments from the Thai central bank on exports and
the economic outlook remaining highly uncertain also weighed on
risk assets, amid anti-government protests demanding a new
constitution and the departure of Prime Minister Prayuth
Chan-ocha - a former junta leader. Indian shares .NSEI were set to snap a nine-day winning
streak and the rupee INR= dipped against the U.S. dollar,
after the International Monetary Fund cut its economic growth
forecast for the country for the second time in nearly four
months.
Currencies across the region were more of a mixed bag, with
most trading flat to lower, while the Taiwan dollar TWD=TP ,
Asia's top performing currency this year so far, stood out with
gains of 0.8% against the greenback.
Taiwan's central bank has been worried about a strong local
currency, which could make the island's exports more expensive.
Last month, it urged foreign exchange traders to exercise
restraint when it came to selling U.S. dollars and not sell
large amounts in one go. "The CBC (Taiwan's central bank) will step in when needed to
ensure the FX market is orderly, but it will not prevent the TWD
from gaining further if the fundamentals justify it," said Khoon
Goh, head of Asia research at ANZ.
HIGHLIGHTS:
** Thailand's 10-year government bond yields are down 2
basis points at 1.36%
** Top losers on Thailand's SETI .SETI include Baan Rock
Garden Pcl BROCK.BK down 10.49% at 1.45 baht; Steel Pcl
THE.BK down 7.69% at 1.2 baht
** Top gainers on the Jakarta stock index .JKSE include
Bank BRISyariah Tbk PT BRIS.JK up 24.89% at 1405 rupiah, Aneka
Tambang Tbk PT ANTM.JK up 24.84% at 955 rupiah
Asia stock indexes and
currencies at 0742 GMT
COUNTRY FX RIC FX FX INDEX STOCK STOCKS
DAILY YTD % S YTD %
% DAILY
%
Japan JPY= +0.04 +3.02 .N225 0.11 -0.13
China CNY=CFXS +0.05 +3.29 .SSEC -0.56 9.53
India INR=IN -0.02 -2.72 .NSEI -0.56 -2.47
Indonesia IDR= -0.26 -5.69 .JKSE 0.68 -17.97
Malaysia MYR= -0.24 -1.47 .KLSE -0.13 -4.13
Philippin PHP= +0.12 +4.11 .PSI 0.03 -24.18
es
S.Korea KRW=KFTC +0.02 +0.83 .KS11 -0.94 8.32
Singapore SGD= +0.07 -1.06 .STI -0.57 -20.79
Taiwan TWD=TP +0.77 +4.90 .TWII -0.21 7.69
Thailand THB=TH -0.06 -4.04 .SETI -0.85 -20.08