Rupiah Holds Below IDR 17,700 as Forex Reserves Rise

The Indonesian rupiah remained below IDR 17,700 per U.S. dollar for a third straight session on Monday, hovering around IDR 17,650, as sentiment was supported by stronger external buffers and signs of fiscal prudence. August forex reserves rose to a five-month high of USD 146.5 billion, helped by government withdrawals of external loans. Meanwhile, the government’s plan to lower the 2027 fiscal deficit to 2.4% of GDP from 2.68% this year reinforced views of tighter fiscal management. Meanwhile, Bank Indonesia Governor Destry Damayanti said domestic inflation remains under control and called for closer coordination among the government, central bank, and businesses to support growth. Globally, the dollar index steadied ahead of U.S. inflation data later this week after recently rebounding on solid jobs data, which bolstered expectations of a Fed rate hike in Sept. Attention now turns to domestic data, including August consumer confidence and July retail sales, due later this week.






