Currencies were mixed, with the Malaysian ringgit MYR= near 4.02 per dollar, its strongest since early June, helped by lower oil prices and optimism over the country's growth and trade outlook.
In contrast, oil-sensitive currencies including the Indonesian rupiah, Philippine peso PHP= and Indian rupee INR=IN have fallen 4.6%-5.8% this year as higher energy costs raised inflation and growth concerns.
The rupiah IDR= reversed course, weakening slightly to 17,715 per dollar, after the sole candidate nominated to be Indonesia's next central bank governor said synergy with other institutions would not reduce Bank Indonesia's independence.
The central bank has been plagued with independence concerns over the course of the year, when President Prabowo Subianto had appointed his nephew Thomas Djiwandono as deputy governor in January and parliament passed sweeping legislation in June that doubled down on the central bank's role in supporting economic growth.
The peso marginally weakened to 61.601 a dollar. The Philippine central bank will likely raise its key rate by 25 basis points on Thursday, as concerns over inflation and the peso' weakness overweighed worries over growth.
Iran said it had restarted talks with Oman to manage the Strait, with both countries saying they discussed "a joint temporary navigational corridor" through the strait and agreed to clear it of mines. Oil prices fell over 2% as a result. O/R
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