SE Asia Stocks-Thailand at one-week low, Singapore falls
* Singapore dragged down by financials, property
* Energy plays hit Thailand as oil price falls
* Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam higher
By Arada Therdthammakun
BANGKOK, July 2 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian stock markets were mixed on Thursday, with Singapore snapping a two-day winning streak, hurt by losses in big-cap financials and property, while Thailand hit a one-week low, pulled down by oil stocks.
Singapore's benchmark index .FTSTI lost 1.35 percent, dragged down by DBS Group (DBSM.SI), Southeast Asia's largest bank, which fell 2.84 percent, while Thailand's index .SETI fell 1.85 percent to a one-week low, with top energy firm PTT PTT.BK off 2.1 percent.
Trading was cautious ahead of U.S. job data, with the unemployment rate forecast to rise to a 26-year high of 9.6 percent. The report is expected to depict an economy still wallowing in recession, but could show the pace of job losses has slowed. [ID:nN01511504]
"Selling orders in some markets continued after last week's rallies, while overall sentiment remains under pressure due to worries about the economic recovery," said Kosin Sripaiboon, head of research at UOB Hay Hian Securities.
"The markets should remain volatile and in a narrow range tomorrow, with investors focusing on the U.S. jobs data," he added.
Other decliners in Singapore included property firm Capitaland (CATL.SI), Southest Asia's top developer, down 3.2 percent, and United Overseas Bank (UOBH.SI), down 1.23 percent.
Sembcorp Marine (SCMN.SI), the world's second-largest rig
builder, rose as much as 1.45 percent after its wholly owned
unit, Jurong Shipyard, secured a rig order worth $237.3 million
from Oban B Ltd. [ID:nSIN465917]
In Bangkok, falls in heavyweight energy shares dragged the market down, with PTT Exploration and Production PTTE.BK easing 3.4 percent, while PTT Chemical PTTC.BK fell 5.3 percent and top refiner Thai Oil TOP.BK dropped 5.6 percent.
Oil prices were little changed, just above $69 a barrel, after falling in the previous session on data showing a larger-than-expected increase in U.S. gasoline stocks, which dented hopes of a recovery in demand. [nSYD481718]
Elsewhere in the region, Malaysia .SETI closed down 0.06 percent, with decliners led by a 2.6 percent fall in Maybank (MBBM.KL), the country's largest lender, and a 6.8 percent drop in property firm UEM Land (ULHB.KL).
Malaysian planters were helped by an upbeat view on palm futures from IOI Corp, which said the worst was over for the plantation sector as palm oil prices had recovered from last year's slump, although merger activity would be muted. [nKLR313596]
Shares in Sime Darby (SIME.KL), Malaysia's top planter, rose 2.84 percent, second-biggest planter IOI Corp (IOIB.KL) edged up 0.85 percent, and Kuala Lumpur Kepong (KLKK.KL) climbed 0.83 percent.
Indonesia's index .JKSE gained 0.3 percent, the Philippines rose 0.21 percent and Vietnam .VNI added 0.88 percent. ($1=34.00 Baht) (Editing by Alan Raybould)
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