On Thursday (08/10) most emerging market currencies and stocks in Asia weakened as investors engaged in profit-taking (after having witnessed a remarkable rally over the past couple of days), while waiting for the release of the Federal Reserve's policy meeting minutes (due later today). The Indonesian rupiah had weakened 0.33 percent to IDR 13,867 per US dollar based on the Bloomberg Dollar Index while the benchmark Jakarta Composite Index was down 0.04 percent 4,487.09 by 15:00 pm local Jakarta time.

Read more ›

Indonesia's rupiah and Malaysia's ringgit led gains among emerging market currencies in Asia on Wednesday (07/10) on the back of capital inflows (triggered by an expected delay in higher US interest rates), better-than-expected Malaysian export data and higher oil prices. The Indonesian rupiah appreciated 2.95 percent to IDR 13,821 per US dollar (Bloomberg Dollar Index), the strongest gain in seven years. Meanwhile, yields on ten- and 15-year Indonesian government bonds fell to 8.710 percent and 8.870 percent, respectively.

Read more ›

Investors' confidence in Indonesia's rupiah restored over the past three days after markets began to believe that the US Federal Reserve has little scope to raise its key Fed Fund Rate this year (due to weak US non-farm payrolls and US ISM non-manufacturing PMI). Bank Indonesia's role should also be highlighted. Indonesia's central bank intervened heavily (through currency swaps and by using its foreign exchange reserves) to stabilize and keep the currency from weakening toward and beyond the IDR 15,000 per US dollar level. This tells investors that Bank Indonesia will not allow a worse decline.

Read more ›

Indonesia again led gains in Asia amid global relief due to the possible delay in an US interest rate hike. Indonesia's benchmark Jakarta Composite Index rose 2.35 percent to 4,445.78 points, while the Indonesian rupiah appreciated 1.81 percent to IDR 14,241 per US dollar according to the Bloomberg Dollar Index on Tuesday (06/10). After seeing the release of weak US non-farm payrolls on Friday (02/10) - triggering the assumption that US labor conditions are not strong enough to absorb an interest rate increase - global equity markets and emerging market currencies rebounded.

Read more ›

Indonesian stocks and the rupiah continued to strengthen sharply on Tuesday morning on global relief after weak US jobs growth data were released last Friday (02/10) dimming chances of a Federal Reserve interest rate hike before the end of the year. Yesterday, Asian markets, Wall Street and Europe all surged. Moreover, with US interest rates remaining at between 0.00 and 0.25 percent in the foreseeable future, investors are attracted by higher-yielding emerging market assets such as Indonesian stocks and the rupiah.

Read more ›

Indonesian stocks and the rupiah experienced a remarkable rebound on Monday (05/10) as global markets were relieved to see weak US jobs growth data at the end of last week. On Friday (02/10), it was announced that US September non-farm payrolls stood at 142,000, far below the market consensus of 203,000. Most investors now believe that the US Federal Reserve has too little scope to raise its key interest rate before the end of the year or even before the second quarter of 2016.

Read more ›

Asian stock indices surged on Monday morning (05/10) on relief that the Federal Reserve may need to postpone a key Fed Fund Rate hike after the release of weak US jobs data at the end of last week. Indonesia's benchmark Jakarta Composite Index was up 2.40 percent to 4,309.71 points by 10:30 am local Jakarta time. Meanwhile, the rupiah had appreciated 0.59 percent to IDR 14,559 per US dollar by the same time (Bloomberg Dollar Index).

Read more ›

For the 12th consecutive month Indonesia's manufacturing activity contracted as output and new orders declined. The Nikkei/Markit purchasing managers' index (PMI) fell to 47.4 in September 2015 from 48.4 in the preceding month and below analysts' forecasts (a reading of 50.0 separates contraction from expansion). September's contraction was the second-fastest drop in Indonesia's manufacturing activity since the index was started in early 2012.

Read more ›

Indonesia experienced deflation, with consumer prices falling by 0.05 percent (month-on-month), in September 2015 on the back of lower food and transportation prices. Examples of lower food prices include chicken meat, eggs, chili peppers, onions and cooking oil. Regarding lower transportation costs it was particularly lower air transport tariffs that contributed to deflation. On an annual basis, Indonesian inflation eased to 6.83 percent in September, down from 7.18 (y/y) in the preceding month, and below analysts' estimates at 7.0 (y/y).

Read more ›

After the government of Indonesia unveiled the second installment of its economic policy package on Tuesday (29/09), the central bank (Bank Indonesia) followed suit by releasing a rupiah exchange rate stabilization package on Wednesday (30/09). Bank Indonesia’s package has three main pillars: (1) safeguarding rupiah rate stability, (2) strengthening rupiah liquidity management, and (3) strengthening foreign exchange supply and demand management.

Read more ›

Indonesia's main stock index (IHSG) was not able to continue yesterday's rise as investors, particularly domestic investors, engaged in profit taking. Foreign investors, who were net buyers of Indonesian assets, were not able to guide the IHSG to positive territory. Mixed Asian stock indices, responding to weak Chinese data, did not support Indonesia's index. Moreover, market participants expect that the rupiah will continue its weakening trend and have begun speculating whether the benchmark interest rate (BI rate) will be raised again.

Read more ›

Yesterday's rising indices on Wall Street, high expectations of companies' financial reports and positive statements regarding economic growth in China resulted in a good day at the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX). Indonesia's main stock index, the IHSG, rose 1.88 percent to 4,767.16 on Tuesday (23/07), even though technical indicators seemed to predict a weakening of the index. Also the continued fall of the Indonesian rupiah did not turn investors away from the market. In fact, foreign investors were net buyers of Indonesian stocks.

Read more ›

As I wrote before, profit taking in combination with mixed movements of global stock indices resulted in the limited movement of Indonesia's main stock index (IHSG) on Monday (22/07). The IHSG was corrected 0.96 percent to 4,678.98. All of the sectoral indices weakened, except for the plantation and mining sectors. As there were no positive news publications that would make investors buy assets, they decided to engage in profit taking after the IHSG had risen for five consecutive days.

Read more ›

The Indonesian rupiah (IDR) is experiencing one of its worst losing streaks in a decade. On Friday (19/07), the currency weakened to IDR 10,070 against the US dollar, which implies a devaluation of 4.14% in 2013 so far. The central bank of Indonesia, Bank Indonesia, does all it can to support the currency: the country's lender of last resort supplies dollars to the market triggering the reduction of foreign reserves from USD $105 million at end-May to $98 million at end-June, and raised its benchmark interest rate (BI Rate) by 50 bps to 6.50%.

Read more ›

Indonesia's main stock index (IHSG) went up 0.89 percent to 4,720.44 on Thursday (18/07). The index was supported by developments in the United States. On Wednesday (17/07), Ben Bernanke spoke to the US Congress and said that the Federal Reserve is likely to continue its bond-buying program in 2013 and may gradually withdraw the quantitative easing program in 2014. But only if economic recovery of the US provides the good context. This message supported the IHSG although foreign investors continued to record a net sale.

Read more ›

Amid widespread profit taking, Indonesia's main stock index (IHSG) was able to post another day of limited growth on Tuesday (16/07). Asian stock indices, including the IHSG, were supported by rising American stock indices on Monday (15/07). Investors seem to be confident that Q2-2013 results of various Indonesian companies are positive and therefore engaged in stock trading although foreign investors were still mostly selling their Indonesian assets. At the end of today's trading day, the IHSG rose 0.18 percent to 4,644.04.

Read more ›

After finishing last week with three consecutive days of gains, Indonesia's main stock index (IHSG) reached up to 4,633.11. However, its movement is still rather volatile. Property, finance and consumption stocks were sold by investors after seeing the benchmark interest rate raised by Bank Indonesia (by 50 bps to 6.50 percent) on Thursday (11/07), while metal stocks formed the main supporter of the index at the end of the week. Trading volume in the regular market hit 5.2 trillion and foreigners recorded net purchases of IDR 288 billion.

Read more ›

Indonesia's main stock index (IHSG) was able to continue its rise on Thursday (11/07) despite mixed markets in the United States and Europe, that were waiting for the release of the Federal Reserve minutes, on the previous day. The minutes and Ben Bernanke's speech indicate that the bond-buying program will be continued for a while and this made investors decide to buy Indonesian assets, particularly large cap stocks such as Unilever Indonesia, Bank Mandiri and Indocement Tunggal Prakarsa.

Read more ›

Today, Bank Indonesia surprised many analysts and investors by raising its benchmark interest rate by 50 bps to 6.50 percent. Indonesia's central bank assessed that this measure is the correct one with regard to supporting the IDR rupiah (which is one of the worst Asian currencies against the US dollar this year) and to fight higher inflation after the government decided to cut fuel subsidies in June. It expects inflation to peak in July at about 2.3 percent (month to month) but to moderate soon afterwards.

Read more ›

Indonesia's central bank (Bank Indonesia) expects that economic growth of Indonesia in 2013 will not meet the government's target as has been set in the revised State Budget (APNB-P). Last month, both government and parliament of Indonesia agreed on a revised GDP growth assumption of 6.3 percent. However, Bank Indonesia believes that, due to slowing domestic consumption and investments in the current global economic context, the growth is more likely to fall between 5.8 and 6.2 percent.

Read more ›