A well-wisher weeps as she prays for Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej at the Siriraj hospital where he is residing in Bangkok, Thailand, October 13, 2016. REUTERS
SINGAPORE: Most Southeast Asian stock markets fell on Thursday, tracking Asian peers after disappointing Chinese trade data raised fresh concern about the world's second biggest economy.
Fears over a Fed rate hike in December added to the subdued sentiment.
Thai shares fell more than 2 percent, extending losses into a fifth straight session on concerns over the health of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
The palace said in a statement late on Wednesday that the health of Thailand's 88-year-old king, the world's longest reigning monarch, had "overall not yet stabilised".
The statement followed one on Sunday when the palace said the king was in an unstable condition after receiving haemodialysis treatment.
Risk appetite waned in Asia, with MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan easing 0.2 percent to its lowest since Sept. 21.
"It is an amalgamation of uncertainty and unfavourable market conditions right now. The markets are reacting to a very gloomy sentiment," said Victor Felix, an analyst with AB Capital Securities in Philippines.
Official data showed China's September exports fell by a sharper-than-expected 10 percent from a year earlier.
Imports unexpectedly shrank 1.9 percent after an encouraging bump up in August, leaving the trade surplus at $41.99 billion against a forecast of $53.0 billion.
Sentiment was also hit after minutes from a Fed meeting last month indicated that it might raise interest rates if the U.S. economy continued to strengthen, and after a report that the Bank of Japan is likely to trim its inflation forecast for the next fiscal year in a quarterly review.
Philippine shares declined over 1 percent to their lowest in four months. Financial and energy stocks led the losses with SM Prime Holdings Inc and Ayala Land shedding over 2 percent each.
Singapore shares dropped to their lowest in three months with industrials and oil & gas leading the fall. - Reuters
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