* All eyes on U.S. Federal Reserve interest rate decision
* Trading volumes remain low as investors stay on sidelines
By Rashmi Ashok
June 18 (Reuters) - Most Southeast Asian stock markets
traded in a tight range on Tuesday as caution ahead of the U.S.
Federal Reserve's two-day policy meeting kept investors on the
sidelines.
The Fed is meeting later in the day amid fresh demands by
U.S. President Donald Trump to cut interest rates. However, the
central bank is expected to keep rates steady this time while
preparing for a rate cut later this year. "With scant data releases and no significant developments on
the trade front, the mood in Asia will likely remain cautious,"
ING said in a note.
Investors will wait for possible adjustments to the Fed's
dot plots before taking on substantial bets, ING added.
Singapore shares .STI rose 0.9%, heading for their first
session of gain in three, with conglomerate Jardine Matheson
Holdings JARD.SI adding 1.3% and Venture Corp VENM.SI
climbing 1.8%.
The market recovered from the previous session's losses as
weak data raised expectations of a possible monetary easing in
October. Financials were among the top gainers, with lenders such as
Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp OCBC.SI climbing 0.9%, while DBS
Group DBSM.SI added 0.7%.
Indonesian stocks .JKSE rebounded from the previous
session's near 1% drop. Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk TLKM.JK
added 1%, while cigarette manufacturer Gudang Garam Tbk
GGRM.JK advanced 0.8%.
"Indonesia retreated for four trading sessions and it's fair
to say that this recovery is only a technical rebound. There has
not been too much of a pick-up in volume," said Taye Shim, head
of research at Mirae Asset Sekuritas.
"The central bank's rate decision is expected this week and
investors are pretty much sidelined," Shim added.
Malaysian stocks .KLSE edged higher, with telecom company
Axiata Group AXIA.KL up 1.3%.
Vietnamese stocks .VNI edged lower, dragged mainly by
financials.
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SOUTHEAST ASIAN STOCK MARKETS at 0326 GMT
Change on the day
Market Current Previous close Pct Move
Singapore 3236.15 3207.99 0.88
Bangkok 1666.9 1667.23 -0.02
Manila 7903.08 7908.99 -0.07
Jakarta 6224.98 6190.525 0.56
Kuala Lumpur 1642.47 1638.4 0.25
Ho Chi Minh 944.26 946.95 -0.28
Change so far in 2019
Market Current End 2018 Pct Move
Singapore 3236.15 3068.76 5.45
Bangkok 1666.9 1563.88 6.59
Manila 7903.08 7,466.02 5.85
Jakarta 6224.98 6,194.50 0.49
Kuala Lumpur 1642.47 1690.58 -2.85
Ho Chi Minh 944.26 892.54 5.79