Rupiah falls against dollar to 13,414 on Friday

The rupiah fell 54 points to close at Rp13,414 per dollar in the Jakarta inter-bank spot market on Friday evening, compared to the previous close of Rp13,360 per dollar.

The dollar appreciated at the weekend, sending a signal that the Fed has indicated the possibility of raising its interest rate this year end, Ariston Tjendra, chief researcher of Monex Investindo, said here on Friday.

“The signal about a hike in the US interest rate is in line with the US optimistic economic data,” he added.

The release of data about US jobless claims at low level and the increase in home sales are among the reasons for the Fed to tighten its monetary policy, he noted.

“The majority of global currencies also tend to weaken against the US dollar,” he commented.

Lukman Leong, an analyst of PT Platon Niaga Berjangka, reminded that Bank Indonesia which remains in the foreign currency and bond market to control the fluctuation of local currency has prevented the rupiah from further weakening against the dollar.

On the other hand, the tax amnesty program has added to the rupiah enjoying a positive sentiment, he observed.

According to the BI mid-rate, the rupiah weakened to Rp13,408 per dollar, compared to Rp13,385 per dollar the day before.