• Indonesian Miner Bumi Resources almost Defaulted on $300 Million Bond

    Bumi Resources, a leading Indonesian coal mining company, came close to default on its USD $300 million November 2016 bond before paying an overdue coupon earlier this week. The company, which is in the hands of the controversial Bakrie family, is obliged to make two coupon payments per year but postponed payment due on 12 May 2014 in order to negotiate with its creditors and lenders. According to a statement of Bumi Resources Director Dileep Srivastava, the payment was done on 11 June 2014.

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  • Indonesian Rupiah Exchange Rate Update: Slightly Appreciating

    The Indonesian rupiah exchange rate appreciated slightly on Wednesday (11/06). According to the Bloomberg Dollar Index, the currency of Southeast Asia’s largest economy appreciated 0.04 percent to IDR 11,810 per US dollar. Reuters reported that the euro zone's monetary easing in combination with the recent improvement in China's economy offset the impact of higher US yields on Asia. However, investors are still waiting for several data, including the BI interest rate, the Eurozone’s industrial production, and US retail sales.

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  • Indonesian Rupiah Appreciates 0.25% but Sentiment still Negative

    The Indonesian rupiah exchange rate appreciated 0.25 percent to IDR 11,860 per US dollar according to the Bloomberg Dollar Index on Thursday (05/06). However, this is not expected to be the start of an appreciating trend for the currency as there are still various domestic and international factors that place pressure on the rupiah. Contrary to the Bloomberg Index, Bank Indonesia's benchmark rupiah rate (Jakarta Interbank Spot Dollar Rate, abbreviated JISDOR) depreciated 0.54 percent to IDR 11,874 against the US dollar today.

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  • US Higher Yields and Trade Deficit Concerns Impact on Indonesian Rupiah

    The Indonesian rupiah exchange rate continued to depreciate further on Wednesday (04/06). According to the Bloomberg Dollar Index, the currency of Indonesia had weakened 0.38 percent to IDR 11,855 per US dollar by 15:00pm local Jakarta time. The depreciation occurred due to US dollar demand from local importers for payments and renewed concern about the country's trade balance. Today's performance of the rupiah is in line with the performance of other Asian currencies as investors return to the US dollar on higher US yields.

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