SE Asia Stocks-Mostly up; Thai index hits 19-year high

BANGKOK, March 15 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian stocks were
mostly higher on Friday, with Indonesia snapping three sessions
of losses after the new central bank governor's view of low
interest rates, and Thailand nearly touching the 1,600 mark on
progress of infrastructure investment.
Jakarta's Composite Index finished up 0.7 percent at
4,819.32, trimming its loss on the week to 1.1 percent. It
rallied almost 10 percent over the past six weeks, setting a
record close of 4,874.50 on March 8.
Thai SET index rose for the third session, ending up
0.7 percent at a 19-year closing high of 1,598.13. It gained
almost 2 percent on the week, Southeast Asia's second best
performer. Vietnam led the region with a weekly gain of
2.3 percent.
Thai government's progress on plans for huge infrastructure
investment has bolstered demand, with the cabinet set to meet
next week to discuss 2 trillion baht ($67.5 billion) in
spending.
Bucking the trend, Kuala Lumpur's Composite Index
lost almost 1 percent to 1,627.64, the lowest close in more than
two weeks. The Philippines eased 0.6 percent, extending
losses for a fifth session, to 6,654.60.
Across the region, investors bought stocks with good
earnings and yielding good dividends. In the Philippines,
conglomerate Alliance Global Group Inc jumped 2.5
percent after it reported strong 2012 earnings.
Among bright spots, Thailand's SkyTrain operator BTS Group
Holdings Pcl jumped 3.4 percent following its plan to
raise up to $2.1 billion by listing an infrastructure
fund.

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SOUTHEAST ASIAN STOCK MARKETS
Change on day
Market Current Prev Close Pct Move
TR SE Asia Index* 445.08 443.68 +0.32
Singapore 3286.05 3279.50 +0.20
Kuala Lumpur 1627.64 1640.74 -0.80
Bangkok 1598.13 1586.79 +0.71
Jakarta 4819.32 4786.37 +0.69
Manila 6654.60 6694.71 -0.60
Ho Chi Minh 481.35 474.60 +1.42

Change on year
Market Current End prev yr Pct Move
TR SE Asia Index* 445.08 424.10 +4.95
Singapore 3286.05 3167.08 +3.76
Kuala Lumpur 1627.64 1688.95 -3.63
Bangkok 1598.13 1391.93 +14.81
Jakarta 4819.32 4316.69 +11.64
Manila 6654.60 5812.73 +14.48
Ho Chi Minh 481.35 413.73 +16.34

* The Thomson Reuters South East Asia Index is a
highly representative indicator of stocks listed in Indonesia,
Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Stock Market Volume (shares)
Market Current Volume Average Volume 30 days
Singapore 607,103,500 272,313,503
Kuala Lumpur 280,042,600 152,583,073

Bangkok 21,579,407 14,729,302
Jakarta 5,846,524,500 5,925,361,633
Manila 134,003 130,316
Ho Chi Minh 74,398 70,383