The departure of economic adviser Gary Cohn sparked renewed worries Trump may go ahead with his proposed import tariffs on steel and aluminium.
SINGAPORE: Philippine shares slumped on Tuesday to their lowest in nearly 10 months, while most other Southeast Asian stock markets trod water as investors assessed a mixed bag of economic data out of China.
China's economy grew 6.8 percent in the first quarter of 2018 from a year earlier, official data showed, unchanged from the previous quarter. But separate data showed March industrial output missed expectations and first-quarter fixed-asset investment growth slowed, tempering equity market sentiment.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan edged lower marginally.
Philippine shares slumped 1.5 percent to their lowest since June 30 and were on track for a third straight session of losses, with financials weighing down the index.
Bank of the Philippine Islands and BDO Unibank Inc fell 3.1 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively.
There has been strong selling since late February, said Fio Dejesus, an equity research analyst at RCBC Securities.
Although consolidation began last month, investors still seem bearish, he said, adding the index might pick up from the 7,500 level.
Malaysian shares rose 0.2 percent to their highest since July 2014 and were on track for their eighth winning session in nine.
Telecom company DiGi.Com Bhd rose 4.4 percent in the session.
Singapore shares edged up 0.3 percent to a near four-week high, with financials leading the charge.
Singapore's top lenders, DBS Group Holdings Ltd and Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp Ltd, gained more than 1 percent each.
The city-state's non-oil exports unexpectedly fell from a year earlier in March as electronics shipments fell for the fourth consecutive month, official data showed on Tuesday.
Indonesian shares were up 0.1 percent, with energy stocks leading the gains.
Heavyweight United Tractors Tbk PT rose 3.2 percent, while Astra International Tbk PT was up 0.7 percent.
Thai shares were little changed when trading resumed after a holiday on Monday. - Reuters
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