Foreign investors, however, continued to sell more Indonesian stocks than they bought.

The Fed minutes were well received worldwide as it fed speculation that US interest rates will be not be raised sooner than expected. The market thus still expects that US interest rates will be raised somewhere in mid-2015. One notable exception was Japan, the world’s third-largest economy. The Nikkei index dropped as the country’s machinery orders and foreign bond investment were disappointing.

At the end of Thursday’s trading day the Jakarta Composite Index had gained 0.71 percent and finished at 4,993.88 points.


Apart from the positive influence on stocks, the Fed minutes also resulted in a weaker US dollar. As a result in number of Asian currencies strengthened on Thursday. These appreciating currencies included the yen, rupiah, yuan, Taiwan dollar, and rupee. Previous concerns about political developments in Indonesia also seems to have eased (these concerns involved the possible blockage of president-elect Joko Widodo reform programs by the strong Merah-Putih coalition in Indonesian parliament).

Bank Indonesia's benchmark rupiah rate (Jakarta Interbank Spot Dollar Rate, abbreviated JISDOR) appreciated 0.41 percent to IDR 12,190 per US dollar on Thursday (09/10).

| Source: Bank Indonesia

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