*
      MSCI emerging Asia stocks fall


        *
      Stocks in Malaysia and the Philippines fall


        *
      Thai baht rallies to near 6-month high


        *
      Other Asian currencies drift sideways



    By Sameer Manekar
       April 16 (Reuters) - Stock markets in emerging Asia
slipped on Wednesday after Nvidia ( NVDA ) warned of a massive
hit from U.S. chip export curbs to China, signalling the
imminent damage from an intensifying trade war between the
world's top two economies.
    Thailand's baht climbed to 33.31 per U.S. dollar
for the first time since October 21 last year, driven by a soft
dollar, gold prices at all-time highs and China's
better-than-expected economic growth in the first quarter.
    Thailand is a major gold trading hub in the region and its
currency is closely linked to the commodity's price.
    "The outperformance in the baht should be contributed by
surging gold prices," said Poon Panichpibool, a markets
strategist with Krung Thai Bank.
    Analysts remain cautious about short-term rallies as a
correction in gold prices could pressure the baht. An escalation
in the U.S.-China trade war and the knock-on effect of a
weakening yuan could also dampen Asian currencies.
    Panichpibool said the baht remained under depreciation
pressures from deteriorating fundamentals such as a soft tourism
season, fallout from trade tensions and dividend repatriation by
foreign investors.
    In China, solid first-quarter growth data did little to
boost domestic assets with the onshore yuan slipping
marginally and stocks falling.
    China is Southeast Asia's biggest trading partner and an
investment source, whose fortunes dictate growth in the region.
    Most other regional currencies appreciated against the
dollar, though the greenback clung to its mid-July lows
touched last week against a basket of its peers.
    The Singapore dollar and Philippine peso also
edged higher. Malaysia's ringgit moved in a tight range
around its one-week high.
    An MSCI index of world emerging market currencies
 was slightly lower, largely weighed by Latin
American currencies that weakened against the dollar overnight.
A gauge of those currencies slipped 0.3%.
    In equities, an MSCI index of Asian emerging market stocks
 fell 1.5% to come off a one-week high it scaled
the previous day. A gauge of Southeast Asian stocks
 also fell slightly.
    The tariff volleys between the United States and China have
traders fretting about global economic growth, with President
Donald Trump's wavering policies adding to the uncertainty for
taking long-term positions.
    "Choppiness in markets looks to continue as the trade
negotiations come underway together with the risk of more U.S.
trade restriction announcements," analysts at Maybank said.
    Equity benchmarks in Singapore, Thailand and
Indonesia drifted within narrow ranges. Stock indexes in
Malaysia and the Philippines slipped as much as
0.9%.

    HIGHLIGHTS:
    ** Indonesia's 10-year benchmark bond yield
slips to 6.994%
    ** South Korea, Vietnam pledge cooperation as US tariffs
loom
    ** Indonesia to propose $10 billion US energy imports
increase in tariff talks

   Asia stock indexes and
   currencies at 0358 GMT
 COUNTRY   FX RIC   FX DAILY  FX YTD %   INDEX   STOCKS  STOCKS
                       %                         DAILY   YTD %
                                                   %
  Japan              +0.48     +10.27            -0.67   -14.65
  China   India              +0.30     +0.11              0.07   -1.27
 Indones             -0.09     -4.37              0.02   -9.00
   ia
 Malaysi             -0.07     +1.25             -0.69   -10.12
    a
 Philipp             +0.20     +2.61             -0.79   -6.00
  ines
 S.Korea  Singapo             +0.23     +3.81              0.33   -3.99
   re
 Taiwan              -0.01     +0.80             -1.72   -15.28
 Thailan             +0.71     +2.96              0.27   -19.18
    d




 (Reporting by Sameer Manekar in Bengaluru; Editing by
Jacqueline Wong)