Why Does Indonesia’s Rupiah Have a Weak Start in 2015?
The Indonesian rupiah exchange rate is experiencing a weak start of the New Year. According to the Bloomberg Dollar Index, Indonesia’s currency had depreciated 1.26 percent to IDR 12,543 per US dollar by 13:35 pm local Jakarta time on Friday (02/01). However, this weak performance is in line with the performance of other emerging Asian currencies against the US dollar on today’s trading day (amid an improving US economy), thus extending the depreciating trend that started in the second half of 2014.
Both external and internal factors caused the weak performance of the rupiah on Friday (02/01). Economic data from the USA signal structural improvement of the world’s largest economy, implying that the US Federal Reserve will soon decide to raise its key interest rate (perhaps in the first half of 2015). This move is expected to trigger capital outflows from emerging economies, including Indonesia. According to data released on 31 December 2014, US jobless claims in 2014 fell to the least in 14 years, while an index of November pending home sales increased more than was estimated by analysts.
Meanwhile, macroeconomic data from Indonesia was disappointing. Inflation accelerated to 8.36 percent year-on-year (y/y) in December 2014 due to the recent subsidized fuel price hike, while the country posted an unexpected USD $425 million trade deficit in November (after a surplus of USD $20 million in the previous month).
Furthermore, Indonesia’s manufacturing activity contracted for the third consecutive month in December according to the HSBC Markit Purchasing Managers’ Index), touching its weakest level since early 2011 amid a decline in output and export orders.
Lastly, US dollar demand from local Indonesian companies is expected to increase as Bank Indonesia has set new rules for hedging offshore loans, effective from 1 January 2015.
Bank Indonesia's benchmark rupiah rate (Jakarta Interbank Spot Dollar Rate, abbreviated JISDOR) depreciated 0.27 percent to IDR 12,474 per US dollar on Friday (01/01).
Indonesian Rupiah versus US Dollar (JISDOR):
| Source: Bank Indonesia–