Thai stocks extend gains after surprise rate cut; Asian currencies tepid

By Adwitiya Srivastava and Himanshi Akhand

Oct 17 (Reuters) –Asian currencies were subdued on Thursday, as the dollar firmed on the prospect of a Donald Trump presidency, while regional stocks were broadly higher with those in Thailand at a one-year high after a surprise rate cut by the central bank.

The Malaysian ringgit MYR=, the region’s best performing currency this year, fell 0.4% and the South Korean won KRW=KFTC was down 0.3%.

The dollar USD= was hovering near an 11-week high, drawing support from a run of upbeat data which has caused traders to scale back expectations of Fed rate cuts, and also from the possibility of a victory by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at next month’s election. FRX/

In Asia, the Bank of Thailand (BOT) surprised investors on Wednesday by lowering interest rates by 25 basis points for the first time since May 2020, but indicated the cut was not the start of an easing cycle.

Equities in Bangkok .SETI extended gains to rise 0.7% and stay at their highest level in more than one-year, while the baht THB=TH, one of the few regional currencies with year-to-date gains so far, dipped 0.2%.

“While the ASEAN-6 central banks have a dovish tendency, they are not on a pre-determined rate cut path. The quantum and timing are likely to be dictated by financial market volatility, domestic growth-inflation mix and U.S. Fed’s moves,” DBS analysts said in a note.

The Philippine central bank also delivered a 25-basis-point rate cut, while Bank Indonesia kept rates unchanged, both as expected.

The depreciation of the rupiah has previously forced the central bank to pause and await for better opportunities to ease policy, Barclays analysts said.

“Historically, bouts of IDR depreciation – as well as poor trade or current account balance data prints – have resulted in a start-stop pattern in previous BI rate-cutting cycles,” they added.

The Indonesian rupiah IDR= was last down 0.2%, and stocks .JKSE rose 0.7%.

Other regional equities were also higher, with Singapore stocks .STI rising as much as 1.1% to reach their highest level in over three weeks, while those in Malaysia .KLSE rose 0.4%.

Elsewhere, China’s housing minister promised to improve builders’ access to funding for finishing thousands of projects and the central bank’s deputy governor said cuts to down payments had already improved confidence and sales.

The Chinese yuan CNY=CFXS and equities .SSEC were both largely flat.

HIGHLIGHTS:

** Results at chipmaking giant TSMC 2330.TW due later Thursday

** China will not renounce use of force over Taiwan; Xi visits frontline island

** Japan’s exports fall for first time in 10 months on China, US slowdown

Reporting by Adwitiya Srivastava and Himanshi Akhand in Bengaluru; Editing by Stephen Coates