[Asian Stocks Rise as U.S. Rate Hike Expectations Weaken, Singapore Index Hits Record High] Odaily Planet Daily News – On Friday, most stock markets in emerging Asia rose, with Singapore's Straits Times Index reaching a record high. This came after comments from Federal Reserve Governor Waller led investors to lower their bets on a Fed rate hike in September. The MSCI Emerging Asia Stock Index rose 1.4%, poised for its best single-day performance in nearly seven trading days. The Singapore Straits Times Index climbed as much as 0.9% to a record high of 5,807.16 points, led by blue-chip bank stocks. The index has gained 1.9% this week, on track for its best weekly performance since early July. Boosted by this, the MSCI ASEAN Index rose to its highest level in nearly seven trading days, up 1% so far this week. (Jin10)