Jakarta. Ahead of the Bank Indonesia (BI) Board of Governors meeting on Wednesday, the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) has advised the central bank to maintain its benchmark interest rate at 6.25 percent. They also recognize the need for BI to anticipate the impact of global economic fluctuations on the domestic economy.

"We believe the BI rate should not be increased further in the current situation, despite the complexities faced by the government. BI must remain active in interventions, especially regarding rupiah exchange rate stability," said Apindo Chairwoman Shinta Widjaja Kamdani at the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs office in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Regarding the rupiah exchange rate, Shinta hopes BI will continue to maintain its stability, ideally below Rp 16,000. Bloomberg data showed the rupiah at around Rp 16,195 per US dollar on Tuesday.

Teuku Riefky, a macroeconomics and financial markets economist from the University of Indonesia, said that BI needs to carefully consider a policy mix to maintain rupiah stability and domestic inflation. He noted that inflation is not currently a pressing issue, and the interest rate differential remains attractive for capital inflows, helping to stabilize the rupiah.

"In this situation, we believe BI should maintain its benchmark interest rate at 6.25 percent for this month," Riefky said.

Domestic inflation stood at 2.51 percent year-on-year in June 2024, down from 2.84 percent in May. The slowdown was due to lower food prices after the harvest season and reduced demand post-Eid Al-Fitr celebrations in April.

Indonesia's foreign exchange reserves increased by approximately $1.2 billion, from $138.97 billion in May to $140.18 billion in June. 

Externally, the Federal Reserve has taken a more dovish stance as capital flows have moved into emerging markets, and the rupiah has appreciated significantly in recent weeks. The rupiah is currently around Rp 16,110 per US dollar, marking a 2.23 percent increase over the past month.

Following the Federal Reserve's dovish signals after the July 11 inflation data release, capital flows have shifted to emerging markets. Total portfolio capital inflows into Indonesia's financial markets have increased by $1.06 billion over the past three weeks, the highest accumulation since mid-April.

"Of the $1.06 billion, $0.74 billion went into the stock market, and the remaining $0.32 billion went into bond instruments, primarily government debt securities," Riefky explained.

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