Southeast Asian stocks rose on Thursday with Indonesia hitting a record close for second session and the Philippines ending at a new peak as regional markets rallied after US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke reaffirmed commitment to strong stimulus.
Large caps such as PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk and Bank Rakyat Indonesia Tbk led among top performers in Indonesia, sending Jakarta's Composite Index 1.7 percent higher to an all-time closing high of 4,795.79. Indonesia racked up 7.7 percent gain on the month, the biggest since September 2010, leading among Southeast Asian top performers in February.
Philippine main index ended two-day falls, rising 1.6 percent to 6,721.45, its record finish. Manila posted monthly gain of 7.7 percent, joining Indonesia as the region's top performers. Bangkok's SET index was up 1.6 percent at 1,541.58, paring a 1.44 percent loss of the past two sessions. Thai SET index rose to a near 18-1/2 year closing high of 1,546.64 on February 20.