Bank Indonesia likely to deliver a hawkish hold
Repeats from Tuesday with no changes
July 16 (Reuters) -Bank Indonesia (BI) is likely to leave its key interest rate at 6.25% on Wednesday to keep the rupiah steady. Political uncertainty ahead of the U.S. presidential election and no clear timing fora Federal Reserve rate cutwill deter Indonesia'scentral bank from easing soon.
BI unexpectedly hiked its seven-day repurchase rate by 25 basis pointsin April to shore up the IDR. The bank had also been actively intervening in the forex and bond marketsto curb IDR weakness.USD/IDR has come off its highs just below16500 but thedownside remains limited as the Fed is seen keeping rates higher for longer.
USD/IDR has heldbelow the 16500 resistance since June 21,but the rupiah remains pressured by a broadly strong dollar.As the IDR has weakened by about 5% versus the USD since the beginning of 2024, BI may even hike rates once again should the IDR weaken further.
The focusremains on U.S. economic data in the next couple of months. Resilient U.S. indicators will further impact BI's rate outlook.
At the last meeting on June 20, BI's tone was cautious nL4N3IH0PT, even somewhat hawkish as USD/IDR was hovering just below the 16500 level. Another "hawkish hold" looks likely as the central bank continuesits smoothing operations to keep the IDR stable. BI will have some breathing room to lower its policy rateonce the Fed begins easing.
For more click on FXBUZ
Catherine Tan is a Reuters market analyst. The views expressed are her own. Editing by Sonali Desai
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
