SINGAPORE, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Most emerging Asian currencies rose on Friday on healthy U.S. and German data, with the Thai baht poised to enjoy its best week in nearly three months due to inflows linked to Japanese flood insurance payouts. Many currencies were set to post weekly gains and were likely to stay firm next week, although sustained worries about higher oil prices may lead investors to take profits, dealers and analysts said. "I am positive on risk until early next week. It is about picking horses," said a senior European bank dealer in Singapore, adding he was most positive about the South Korean won and the Singapore dollar. Emerging currencies were aided this week by China's central bank decision on the weekend to pump up liquidity to boost growth, and by the euro zone finance ministers' approval of a second bailout fund for Greece. The regional units experienced some corrections because of higher oil prices amid escalating Iran's nuclear tensions, which could further dent the fragile European economy. But many currencies were set to report weekly gains after being buoyed by strong U.S. jobs and housing data, as well as a stronger-than-expected German business sentiment indicator. Among emerging Asian currencies, the baht has risen 1.6 percent against the dollar, according to Thomson Reuters data. If the Thai unit maintains the gains, that would be the largest weekly rises since the week ended on Dec 4, the data showed. Still, many dealers question how much further emerging Asian currencies can rise given surging oil prices and caution over the global economic picture. The European Commission's forecast that economic output in the euro zone would contract 0.3 percent this year, while the wider European Union will stagnate, could see emerging Asian currencies hold in recent ranges, dealers said. CURRENCIES VS U.S. DOLLAR Change on the day at 0400 GMT Currency Latest bid Previous day Pct Move Japan yen 80.21 80.00 -0.26 Sing dlr 1.2529 1.2540 +0.09 Taiwan dlr 29.549 29.596 +0.16 Korean won 1124.30 1129.00 +0.42 Baht 30.32 30.35 +0.10 Peso 42.69 42.78 +0.22 Rupiah 9060.00 9040.00 -0.22 Rupee 48.98 49.19 +0.43 Ringgit 3.0060 3.0125 +0.22 Yuan 6.2978 6.2985 +0.01 Change so far in 2012 Currency Latest bid End prev year Pct Move Japan yen 80.21 76.92 -4.10 Sing dlr 1.2529 1.2969 +3.51 Taiwan dlr 29.549 30.290 +2.51 Korean won 1124.30 1151.80 +2.45 Baht 30.32 31.55 +4.06 Peso 42.69 43.84 +2.71 Rupiah 9060.00 9060.00 +0.00 Rupee 48.98 53.08 +8.37 Ringgit 3.0060 3.1685 +5.41 Yuan 6.2978 6.2940 -0.06 (Reporting by Jongwoo Cheon; Editing by Richard Pullin) For the new Reuters scrolling global forex service please click Double click on brackets for following items: Asian currencies Asian currencies in Asia Malaysian ringgit Indonesian rupiah Singapore dollar Thai baht Taiwan dollar Hong Kong dollar Philippine peso Korean won SPEED GUIDES Exotic currencies Non-G7 currencies RELATED NEWS AND OTHER TOPICS All Singapore news All Malaysian news Thailand Indonesia Hong Kong Taiwan Philippines Korea All emerging markets All foreign exchange news Foreign exchange technical analysis [FRX&INSI]
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