Southeast Asia stocks: Most fall as investors remain unsure about U.S.-China trade deal

(Reuters) - Most Southeast Asian stock markets fell on Tuesday, with Philippines leading the decline, as investors remained worried whether China and the United States can clinch a comprehensive agreement before a March deadline.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross predicted on Monday that Beijing and Washington could reach a deal that "we can live with" as officials from the world's top two economies hold negotiations in China.

China's Foreign Ministry said Beijing had the "good faith" to work with the United States to resolve trade frictions, but many analysts doubt the two sides can reach a deal on all of the divisive issues.

"We have to look at it from a slightly bigger picture. You cannot view it by a day-by-day basis because the trade deal is not a one-day thing," said Charles William Ang, associate analyst at COL Financial Group Inc.

"There might be recent developments but it has been an issue for quite sometime now, so you cannot really judge the impact."

Philippine stocks <.PSI> closed 1.1 percent lower, snapping four straight sessions of gains.

Financial and real estate stocks were the top losers, with Ayala Corp and SM Prime Holdings Inc declining 2.8 percent and 2.3 percent, respectively.

Indonesian shares <.JKSE> skidded 0.4 percent, hurt by consumer stocks. Unilever Indonesia Tbk PT fell 2.6 percent, while cigarette maker Gudang Garam Tbk PT dropped 1.7 percent.

An index of the country's 45 most liquid stocks <.JKLQ45> retreated 0.5 percent.

Meanwhile, Singapore shares <.STI> closed higher for a third consecutive session. DBS Group Holdings Ltd advanced 0.7 percent, while Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp Ltd gained 1.1 percent.

(Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)

By Niyati Shetty