Jakarta. Jakarta Composite Index (JCI) opened cautiously on Wednesday, slipping just 1 point, or 0.02%, to 8,121, as investors weighed strong early-year fiscal signals at home against persistent weakness in global equities. The benchmark moved in a tight range of 8,103 to 8,128 in the opening minutes, reflecting a market still searching for clear direction.

RTI data showed 1.39 billion shares had been traded early in the session, with total turnover reaching Rp 827.44 billion ($49.35 million) across 118,066 transactions. Market breadth was relatively balanced, with 242 stocks advancing, 202 declining, and 204 trading flat.

Domestic sentiment drew support from upbeat fiscal developments. Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said January 2026 tax revenue posted robust growth, with net receipts rising by around 30% compared with January 2025. Pilarmas Investindo Sekuritas estimated that, based on January 2025 realization of Rp 88.89 trillion, tax revenue in January 2026 likely reached about Rp 115.56 trillion.

Indonesia has set its 2026 tax revenue target at Rp 2.35 quadrillion, up roughly 23% from the 2025 realization. Pilarmas said the estimated 30% surge in January revenue carries important implications. From a fiscal standpoint, the jump improves government fiscal space early in the year, easing pressure on debt financing and allowing greater flexibility for priority spending such as infrastructure, social protection, and economic incentives. On the macro side, strong tax growth points to recovering economic activity and a healthier tax base, helping reinforce market confidence in Indonesia’s growth outlook.

Still, Pilarmas cautioned that the sustainability of the trend remains to be seen. Early-year strength may reflect seasonal factors, improvements in tax administration, or the impact of previous policies, and may not necessarily mirror performance for the full year. If tax realization consistently approaches the Rp 2.35 quadrillion target, the risk of a widening state budget deficit would decline, supporting medium-term fiscal stability.

Overnight, Wall Street ended lower in mixed trading. The S&P 500 fell 0.8%, moving further away from last week’s record high, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 166 points, or 0.3%. The Nasdaq Composite sank 1.4%, dragged down by losses in major technology stocks, including Nvidia, which slid 2.8%, and Microsoft, down 2.9%, amid concerns that valuations had become overstretched after years of strong gains.

Market sentiment was also pressured by expectations that Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Federal Reserve would keep interest rates higher for longer to fight inflation, although some investors argued that profit-taking played a larger role. Pilarmas maintained its view that the Fed could still cut interest rates one to two times this year under its best-case scenario.

Across Asia, markets mostly traded lower. Japan’s Nikkei fell 0.86% to 54,250, South Korea’s Kospi slipped 0.53% to 5,260, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng declined 0.13% to 26,797, and China’s Shanghai Composite edged down 0.07% to 4,064.