The Indonesian stock market narrowed its gains on Tuesday after the central bank kept the interest rates unchanged, with the rupiah slightly strengthening.
The Jakarta Composite Index rose by 1.2%, with intraday gains reaching as much as 1.8%. The rupiah strengthened to around 16,975 per US dollar, moving away from the previous historical low of 16,995.
Bank Indonesia maintained its benchmark 7-day reverse repo rate at 4.75% and announced new foreign exchange policies to support the local currency. The central bank governor stated that intervention in the rupiah has been intensified to address pressures stemming from the Middle East conflict.
Analysts indicated that rising oil and gas prices might widen the current account deficit, posing a continued downward risk to the rupiah.