* Thailand top loser; energy, telecom drag
* Indonesia central bank lowers rates
* Weak palm oil prices hurt Malaysian stocks
By Anushka Trivedi
Sept 19 (Reuters) - Most Southeast Asian stock markets
closed lower on Thursday, with Thailand leading the pack, after
the U.S. Federal Reserve thwarted hopes of further policy
easing.
The Fed dished out a widely expected quarter-point rate cut
on Wednesday but was decidedly hawkish in its tone, with Chair
Jerome Powell describing the rate cut as an "insurance against
ongoing risks" that includes stagnancy in global growth and
longstanding trade tensions. "The ultimate problem with this type of Federal Open Market
Committee dispersion model is that it's confusing, which means
more uncertainty, and uncertainty is going to lead to risk
reduction," said Stephen Innes, Asia Pacific market strategist
at AxiTrader.
Thai shares .SETI extended falls into a second session and
closed at a three-week low, with energy and telecom stocks
accounting for most of the losses.
Weak oil prices pushed state-run energy company PTT PCL
PTT.BK 1.1% lower, while telecom services provider Advanced
Info Service PCL ADVANC.BK dropped 2.2%. O/R
Indonesian shares .JKSE fell 0.5% as an interest rate cut
by the central bank failed to lift sentiment.
Bank Indonesia delivered a widely expected 25 basis point
rate cut but warned of its economy taking a hit from the global
economic slowdown, and said it expected 2019 growth below the
midpoint of 5%-5.4%. "A slight hawkish future stance of the Fed contributed to
the pullback, also market seems unmoved despite a 25 bp rate
cut," said Anugerah Zamzami Nasr, an equity research analyst at
PT Phillip Sekuritas Indonesia.
"We suspect that despite lower inflation and resilient
external balance, Indonesian economic growth could be sluggish
for the rest of the year and might need other non-monetary
stimulus."
Resources and telecom stocks were among the top losers, with
heavyweight PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk TLKM.JK dipping
0.9%.
Kenanga Group analysts see top-line weakness in the second
half for the company as changes in its product pricing are
expected to lead to lower average revenue per user.
Malaysian shares .KLSE closed 0.2% lower, dragged by
consumer and healthcare stocks.
A decline in palm oil prices weighed on companies such as
Sime Darby Plantation Bhd SIPL.KL and IOI Corp Bhd IOIB.KL ,
while hospital operator IHH Healthcare IHHH.KL shed 1.7%.
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SOUTHEAST ASIAN STOCK MARKETS
Change on the day
Market Current Previous close Pct Move
Singapore 3158.8 3166.84 -0.25
Bangkok 1640.66 1654.14 -0.81
Manila 7911.32 7915.29 -0.05
Jakarta 6244.47 6276.633 -0.51
Kuala Lumpur 1596.28 1599.49 -0.20
Ho Chi Minh 997.1 995.15 0.20
Change so far in 2019
Market Current End 2018 Pct Move
Singapore 3158.8 3068.76 2.93
Bangkok 1640.66 1563.88 4.91
Manila 7911.32 7,466.02 5.96
Jakarta 6244.47 6,194.50 0.81
Kuala Lumpur 1596.28 1690.58 -5.58
Ho Chi Minh 997.1 892.54 11.71