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In the month of December 2018 the Indonesian rupiah weakened 0.99 percent from IDR 14,339 per US dollar on the last trading day of November 2018 to IDR 14,481 per US dollar on the last trading day of December 2018 (based on Bank Indonesia’s benchmark JISDOR rate).
While most of the focus, rightfully, remains centered on the disaster in Central Sulawesi where presumably thousands of people have lost their lives due to a big earthquake and devastating tsunami, it is worth keeping an eye on the Indonesian rupiah exchange rate which is again facing heavy pressures and has now slipped beyond the psychological boundary of IDR 15,000 per US dollar.
In line with expectations, the US Federal Reserve decided to raise its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to the range of 2.00 - 2.25 percent at the September policy meeting that was concluded on Wednesday 26 September 2018. It is the Fed's eight rate hike since 2015 and the third one so far in 2018.
Concerns about emerging market contagion is pushing emerging market stocks, currencies, and bonds in deep red territory on Wednesday (05/09). Indonesia leads the decline with its benchmark Jakarta Composite Index plunging slightly over 3 percent in the first one-and-half hours of trading, while the rupiah is sliding toward the IDR 15,000 per US dollar level (its weakest position since the Asian Financial Crisis in the late-1990s).
All eyes remain on the Indonesian rupiah today (04/09). Yesterday, the Indonesian currency depreciated 0.71 percent to IDR 14,815 per US dollar (Bloomberg Dollar Index), and considering external pressures remain high the rupiah is expected to continue its decline in the foreseeable future. Authorities' efforts are able to smoothen the rupiah's weakening trend, hence avoiding sudden big slumps that could trigger panic. But to reverse the current trend of the rupiah, there are no short-term solutions.
The Indonesian rupiah rate depreciated beyond the IDR 14,700 per US dollar level on Friday (31/08). Based on the Bloomberg Dollar Index the rupiah had weakened 0.20 percent to IDR 14,710 per US dollar by 11:00 am local Jakarta time. Indonesia's currency is now gradually approaching a two-decade low. The weakening rupiah also caused the country's benchmark Jakarta Composite Index to fall 1.19 percent on Friday's first trading session.
The Indonesian rupiah had been fairly stable against the US dollar since Bank Indonesia's aggressive 0.50 percent rate hike in late-June (a move that caught many by surprise). However, after the central bank of Indonesia decided to leave its benchmark interest rate unchanged at the July policy meeting (which was concluded on Thursday, 19/07), the rupiah has become under heavy pressure again.
The central bank of Indonesia (Bank Indonesia) announced that the nation's foreign exchange reserves had fallen to USD $119.8 billion (per end June 2018), thus declining USD $3.1 billion compared to the position in the preceding month. As such, the recent trend continued: Indonesia's foreign exchange assets have now fallen for five straight months after touching a record high of nearly USD $132.0 billion in January 2018 (see table below).
The central bank of Indonesia (Bank Indonesia) announced that the nation's official foreign exchange reserves stood at USD $122.9 billion at the end of May 2018, down from USD $124.9 billion in the preceding month. The decline, which had been expected, was mainly due to the use of foreign exchange to repay public foreign debt and to stabilize the Indonesian rupiah amid persistently high uncertainty in global financial markets.
While most Asian stocks (as well as US and European stock futures) are in green territory on Monday (21/05) on the back of easing concerns about a potential global trade war (led by the US and China), Indonesian assets remain under pressure. Over the weekend, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the US-China trade war is "on hold" following both sides' agreement to suspend any tariff threats for now. This has a positive impact on global markets.
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Over the last year, the Indonesian rupiah has been rising when compared to a wide variety of world currencies. Some of the more pronounced strength has been seen against the US dollar, which has been travelling in the opposite direction for most of the same period. To many investors that are focused on the currency markets, it might appear as though these two currencies are largely unrelated. But when we look at the trends that have been developing over the last year, it quickly becomes clear that this is just not the case.
Over the past week, the Indonesian rupiah continued to appreciate against the US dollar. Based on the Bloomberg Dollar Index, the rupiah appreciated 0.07 percent to IDR 12,850 per US dollar on Friday (17/04). Only a month ago, investors and policymakers were alarmed when the rupiah touched IDR 13,245 per US dollar, a 17-year low. This column discusses the factors that caused the strengthening of the rupiah in recent weeks. However, amid looming further monetary tightening in the USA, this development should be short-term only.
When we look at market activity in the Indonesian rupiah, some very clear trends have started to emerge. When viewed against the US dollar the rupiah has seen pronounced weakness over this time frame. Many investors have started to view this activity as overdone and we have started to see analyst forecasts calling for more strength in the rupiah over the next few months. But there are also arguments that can be made against this outlook and it will be important for those investing in Indonesian assets to understand some of these factors, so that proper positioning can be undertaken.
The central bank of Indonesia (Bank Indonesia) stated that, besides global volatility caused by uncertainty about the timing of higher US interest rates, the rupiah has been - and remains - under pressure due to Indonesia’s increasing private sector debt and the wide current account deficit. Moreover, as subsidiaries of multinational companies in Indonesia tend to send back dividends to the foreign parent companies in the second quarter (implying rising US dollar demand), the rupiah is plagued by additional pressures up to June.
Indonesia’s central bank (Bank Indonesia) decided to hold the country’s key interest rate (BI rate) at 7.50 percent, the deposit facility rate at 5.50 percent, and the lending facility rate at 8.00 percent at the Board of Governor’s Meeting conducted on Tuesday 17 March 2015. Bank Indonesia said that its decision is in line with its ongoing efforts to push inflation back to the target range of 4±1 percent for both 2015 and 2016, and to guide the country’s current account deficit towards a healthier level at 2.5-3 percent of GDP in the medium term.
The Indonesian rupiah exchange rate continued to depreciate on Monday (02/03). According to the Bloomberg Dollar Index, Indonesia’s currency depreciated 0.30 percent to IDR 12,970 per US dollar, a six-year low. Apart from general bullish US dollar momentum in recent months (amid monetary tightening in the USA), the rupiah weakened due to Bank Indonesia’s signals that it tolerates a weaker currency in a move to boost exports (limiting the country’s current account deficit), and due to China’s interest rates cut.
The Indonesian rupiah strengthened on Monday (16/02) as the country’s twin current account and trade balances improved, while the US dollar weakened on disappointing US retail sales and on optimism that Greece will remain a member of the Eurozone. Meanwhile, Indonesia's Finance Ministry held a successful auction today in which it sold IDR 12 trillion (USD $942 million) of conventional bonds. Based on the Bloomberg Dollar Index, Indonesia’s rupiah appreciated 0.35 percent to IDR 12,753 per US dollar based on Monday (16/02).
Indonesian stocks hit a record high on Thursday (22/01). Most emerging Asian stocks and currencies strengthened on increased speculation that the European Central Bank (ECB) is to launch a massive bond-buying program (which was confirmed later on the day after Asian markets had closed), a move aimed at boosting inflation in the Eurozone and which puts pressure on euro-denominated assets. The euro had depreciated 1.67 percent against the US dollar by 11:20 ET on Thursday based on Bloomberg data.
In line with the performance of other Asian emerging currencies, Indonesia's rupiah exchange rate appreciated on Monday (12/01) as the fall in US wages (released late last week) caused speculation that the Federal Reserve will - for now - delay its plan to start raising US borrowing costs. Despite solid growing US non-farm payrolls in December 2014, US wages (average hourly earnings) fell the most in eight years. Indonesia’s rupiah appreciated 0.38 percent to IDR 12,599 per US dollar according to the Bloomberg Dollar Index.
Both the Indonesian rupiah exchange rate and stocks continued to fall on Tuesday (06/01) as global conditions remained unconducive. Indices on Wall Street had declined sharply yesterday as the global oil prices fell below USD $50 per barrel fueling concerns about a weaker global economy. Similarly, most Asian stock indices declined as Japan's yen appreciated and energy stocks were sold by investors. Indonesia’s benchmark Jakarta Composite Index fell 0.98 percent to 5,169.06 points.
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