SINGAPORE (Reuters): Taiwan stocks fell the most in more than two months on Monday, weighed down by falling chipmakers following a slump in US. tech firms, while other emerging Asian shares were muted ahead of key economic data this week.
Equities in Taiwan, which soared last week in tandem with their US peers riding on the Nvidia wave, fell as much as 1.9% to mark their worst day since April 19. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co lost nearly 3%.
The US dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies, was trading at 105.700 as investors awaited a key US inflation reading that could influence the interest rate outlook.
The Federal Reserve's patience with keeping interest rates higher for longer has boosted the dollar.
Singapore shares and the local dollar were left largely untouched after data released showed key core consumer price gauge remained unchanged from last month. It's May core inflation unchanged from April
"In the medium-term, we remain positive on the SGD given robust macro fundamentals and a monetary policy that has an appreciating currency as a default stance," analysts at Maybank wrote.
South Korean stocks, which also rode the tech wave last week, started the week on a weak footing with a 0.9% decline. South Korean won was largely unchanged.
Market participants await Malaysia's inflation data due on Tuesday, hoping for clarity on the central bank's policy trajectory. The Malaysian ringgit traded flat, while stocks in Kuala Lumpur rose slightly.
Elsewhere in the region, the Philippine peso lost 0.6% while shares gained 1.9%, on track for their best day in nearly two months, ahead of the central bank's policy decision on Thursday.
"Peso remains under pressure given the perceived dovishness of the BSP and the risk of that they could cut ahead of the Fed," Maybank analysts said.
Other Asian currencies such as the Thai baht fell as much as 0.3%, while the Japanese yen and the Chinese yuan traded largely flat.
The Shanghai Composite index lost 1.2%, its fourth consecutive session of fall, as investors cautiously awaited key domestic economic data. The Indonesian rupiah came off a four-year low touched last week.
Stocks in Jakarta rose 0.4%, their third consecutive session of gains. - Reuters
