On Monday (24/03), the IHSG gained 0.43 percent to 4,720.42 points. Popular stocks during today's trading day were Semen Indonesia, Matahari Department Store, and Bank Rakyat Indonesia.


Despite a lower HSBC manufacturing PMI for China, Asian markets, including China, were unaffected because investors prefered to react to an official of China's central bank who stated that there is a possibility that China's government will conduct monetary easing and other efforts to foster economic growth in the world's second-largest economy.

The appreciating rupiah exchange rate also caused positive market sentiments on today's Indonesia stock exchange. The rupiah strengthened because market players were content to hear that the Indonesian government and central bank (Bank Indonesia) are ready to face further US monetary tightening. Based on the Bloomberg Dollar Index, the rupiah appreciated 0.39 percent to IDR 11,380 per US dollar. Meanwhile, Bank Indonesia's benchmark rupiah rate (Jakarta Interbank Spot Dollar Rate, abbreviated JISDOR) appreciated 0.41 percent on Monday (24/03) to IDR 11,384 per US dollar.

| Source: Bank Indonesia

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