EMERGING MARKETS-Asian FX steady in thin holiday trade; Thai stocks climb to over one‑year high

By Rajasik Mukherjee

Feb 16 (Reuters) - Asian currencies hovered in narrow ranges on Monday, as holiday-thinned trading kept movements subdued, while regional equities edged lower in the absence of strong market cues, even as Thai shares jumped to their highest level since December 2024.

With markets in China, South Korea, Taiwan, the United States and Indonesia closed for holidays, activity was subdued across the region, leaving most currencies and equities largely becalmed.

Among the few actively traded units, the Malaysian ringgit MYR= and the Thai baht THB=TH edged 0.2% higher.

The ringgit has strengthened in four of the past five sessions and is the region's best‑performing currency so far this year, with Malaysian assets drawing global inflows as a softer U.S. dollar and rising geopolitical tensions encourage diversification.

The rest of the traded currencies in the region stayed largely flat.

On the equities front, Thai stocks .SETI rose as much as 1.2% to their highest level since December 2024. The benchmark index, however, pared some of its gains to trade 0.5% higher.

The market was building on its strongest weekly performance since mid‑2025, supported by a decisive election outcome that lifted investor confidence.

The rally was driven by renewed foreign inflows as optimism strengthened over a clearer political outlook and the prospect of fresh economic stimulus measures, said Ratasak Piriyanont, senior vice-president for investment strategy at Bangkok-based Kasikorn Securities.

Earlier in the day, data showed Thailand's economy grew faster than expected in the fourth quarter of 2025 from a year earlier.

Shivaan Tandon, Asia economist at Capital Economics, struck a cautious tone and said momentum in the Thai economy would not likely persist into 2026.

"The recent election outcome should reduce near-term political risk, it does little to improve an otherwise challenging economic outlook."

Elsewhere in the region, Philippine stocks .PSI shed as much as nearly 1%, touching their lowest levels since early February, pressured by declines in key index constituents.

Shares of renewable power company Alternergy Holdings ALTER.PS declined as much as 2.5%, dropping to their lowest level since November 12 following its earnings release earlier in the day.

Malaysian stocks .KLSE dipped as much as 0.4% to touch their lowest levels since February 6, weighed down by benchmark constituent 99 Speed Mart Retail SPEE.KL, which came under pressure after reporting its quarterly results late on Friday.

Looking ahead, investors will focus on key data releases this week, including two central bank meetings scheduled for Thursday. Bank Indonesia (BI) and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) are both set to announce their policy decisions on February 19.

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