By Sneha Kumar

March 11 (Reuters) - Emerging market stocks across Asia dropped in a broad-based selloff on Tuesday, with shares in Singapore and Taiwan leading the decline, as concerns over a U.S. slowdown and potential recession deepened.

The MSCI EM stocks index .MSCIEF dropped 1.4%, reflecting concerns that the trade war triggered by U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff measures could negatively impact the economy, rattling markets worldwide. An index of Asian emerging market equities .MIMS00000PUS slipped 1.1%.

In Singapore, shares .STI dropped 1.8% to a one-month low, led by heavyweight banks, which lost between 2% and 3%. Taiwan stocks .TWII also declined 1.8%, weighed down by a 2.5% decline in TSMC 2330.TW, the world's largest contract chipmaker.

Equities in Thailand .SETI slipped to their lowest point since early April 2020, while Malaysia .KLSE dropped 1% to a one-year low. South Korean .KS11 shares fell more than 2% to touch their lowest levels since early February.

The prospect of an economic downturn drove a stock market selloff in the U.S. with the tech-heavy Nasdaq confirming entry into correction territory and S&P 500 wiping out $4 trillion in value from its peak last month.

Investors worldwide are now re-evaluating their bets on Trump's policies, which no longer seem to be as market-friendly and pro-businesses as previously anticipated. In a news interview over the weekend, Trump further fuelled trader worries by declining to predict whether the U.S. could face a recession.

"Trump's unpredictability and macro concerns will cause more volatility, and investors need to tread with caution in the short term," said Vasu Menon, managing director of investment strategy, OCBC.

"Overall, while this year may be characterized by twists and turns due to uncertainties about Trump's tariffs and their impact, it may not mean the end of the global equity bull market."

Asian markets have lost significant value over the past few sessions as investors revaluate the impact of Trump's policies in the region, particularly on China, the top trading partner of most developing Asian economies.

Stocks in Malaysia, the Philippines .PSI and Indonesia .JKSE have dropped between 5% and 8% so far this year, while Thailand has declined nearly 17% in 2025 to date.

Singapore and South Korean shares stood out as exceptions, both registering year-to-date gains, driven by strong performance from banks in Singapore and tech stocks in South Korea.

Currencies were range-bound throughout the day, with the peso PHP= continuing its upward trend with slight gains, while the rupiah IDR= remained the worst-performing currency of the year, extending its losses by 0.6% on the day.

HIGHLIGHTS:

** Philippine central bank says still on easing cycle, April cut on table

** Malaysia warns against travel to southern Thailand after attacks

** Philippines' ex-President Duterte arrested at ICC's request over 'drugs war', government says

(Reportingby Sneha Kumar in Bengaluru, additional reporting by Ankur Bannerjee; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)

((Sneha.kumar@thomsonreuters.com))