SE Asian stocks soar; Philippine hits one-year low


FE Team | Published: April 19, 2018 12:58:08 | Updated: April 20, 2018 11:03:36


SE Asian stocks soar as oil price jumps

Most of the Southeast Asian stock markets rose on Thursday on the back of strong commodity and crude oil prices, while Philippine shares plummeted to their lowest in a year on heavy foreign selling.

A broad sell-off saw the Philippine index slide 3.1 per cent, its sharpest intraday drop in nearly one-and-a-half years.

SM Investments Corp and SM Prime Holdings Inc were the biggest losers on the index, down 3.0 per cent and 3.9 per cent, respectively.

Most other markets in the region responded positively to strong metal and oil prices, with MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan gaining 0.8 per cent, reports Reuters.

Brent crude oil futures touched late-2014 highs as US crude inventories declined and as top exporter Saudi Arabia is expected to keep withholding supply.

Thai shares rose as much as 0.7 per cent supported by strong gains in energy stocks.

Oil explorer PTT Exploration and Production PCL and oil distributor PTT PCL rose 5.3 per cent and 2.9 per cent, respectively.

The index is on track for an eighth session of gains in nine, while Malaysian shares climbed 0.4 per cent to their highest since July 2014.

Singapore shares soared 1.2 per cent to a 12-week high, helped by robust gains in financials.

DBS Group Holdings Ltd, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Ltd and United Overseas Bank Ltd gained between 1.9 per cent and 2.2 per cent.

Vietnam, down 1.6 per cent, extended losses for a fourth session in five.

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