* Thai baht biggest loser among Asian FX
* China inflation rises for first time in six months
* Indonesian markets closed for public holiday

By Archishma Iyer
       March 11 (Reuters) - Most Asian currencies and stocks
started the week muted with investors looking for clues on the
outlook for inflation, while a mixed jobs report from the United
States pointed towards the possibility of a rate cut in the
coming months.        
    Monthly payrolls from the world's largest economy late on
Friday revealed an acceleration in jobs growth but also showed
that unemployment reached a two-year high, boosting chances of a
rate cut in June. 
    Traders are looking to U.S. consumer price inflation data
set to be announced late on Tuesday in an otherwise light data
week, with bets on a rate cut in June from the U.S. Federal
Reserve currently standing at 73%, according to the CME FedWatch
tool.  
    At 0400 GMT, the dollar index - which measures the
strength of the greenback against six major currencies - was
hovering at 102.7.
    In Asia, the Thai baht was the biggest loser among
emerging Asian currencies, depreciating about 0.2%, while the
Taiwan dollar fell marginally. 
    Other currencies such as the Singapore dollar,
Philippines peso and the Malaysian ringgit were
trading flat, the ringgit not far from its 26-year low. 
    The South Korean won was the outlier, rising
about 0.4%.  
    "External market drivers will continue to affect the (Asian)
currencies. If the view on the Fed is maintained, and incoming
data in the U.S. support the view further, Asian currencies
would continue rising against USD," analysts from Sumitomo
Mitsui Banking Corp said in a research note. 
    Elsewhere, China reported a rise in consumer prices for the
first time in six months for February. This comes as Asia's
largest economy grapples with a protracted property crisis,
crushing consumer sentiment and demand. 
    "Given that this is heavily attributed to seasonal holiday
spending during the Lunar New Year, sustenance over the coming
months will be key to prove that the recent strength is not a
one-off," DBS analysts wrote.  
    Among Asian shares, stocks in Manila, Singapore
, South Korea fell between 0.2% and 0.8%, even as
Kuala Lumpur firmed 0.3%.  
    Taiwan equities, which hit multiple record highs
last week, spurred by enthusiasm in artificial intelligence
stocks, took a breather during the day, slipping about 0.2%. 
    Indonesian markets were closed due to a public holiday. 
    
    HIGHLIGHTS: 
    ** South Korea urges Vietnam to give its companies tax
incentives 
    ** EXCLUSIVE-Chinese regulators ask large banks to step up
support for Vanke, sources say
    ** China trying to 'normalise' military drills near Taiwan,
island's top security official says
    
    
 Asia stock indexes and currencies at 0400 GMT                   
 COUNTRY      FX RIC           FX     FX    INDEX  STOCKS  STOCKS
                          DAILY %  YTD %            DAILY   YTD %
                                                        %  
 Japan                      +0.10  -4.00            -2.52    15.6
 China                      -0.04  -1.29             0.21    2.60
 India                      +0.16  +0.67            -0.02    3.49
 Indonesia                      -  -1.22                -    1.50
 Malaysia                   -0.02  -1.99             0.29    6.17
 Philippines                +0.00  -0.33            -0.93    6.63
 S.Korea                    +0.35  -2.07            -0.34    0.60
 Singapore                  +0.07  -0.86            -0.23   -3.10
 Taiwan                     -0.13  -2.36            -0.27   10.04
 Thailand                   -0.16  -3.58            -0.25   -2.32
 
    
    
   

 (Reporting by Archishma Iyer in Bengaluru; Editing by Stephen
Coates)