Jakarta. Jakarta Composite Index opened stronger at 8,658 on Friday, rising 18 points or 0.21 percent, as investors tracked a mixed global sentiment ahead of next week’s US Federal Reserve decision.

The benchmark moved between 8,646 and 8,685 in early trade, with 6.38 billion shares changing hands. Turnover reached Rp 2.67 trillion ($160.23 million) across more than 371,313 transactions, with 273 gainers, 217 losers, and 198 flat.

Wall Street ended mixed overnight, with a cautious tone prevailing as traders awaited clarity on the Fed’s rate path. Sentiment was weighed down by fresh labor-market signals after Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported over 1 million job cuts from January to November, the highest since 2020 and up 54 percent from the same period last year. The wave of layoffs stemmed from corporate restructuring, AI-driven efficiency measures, and import tariff policies. Combined with earlier weak ADP data, expectations for another Fed rate cut next week strengthened.

Major US indices remained near record levels despite the soft data. The S&P 500 edged up 0.1 percent, the Dow slipped 0.1 percent, and the Nasdaq added 0.2 percent. Investors largely expect the Fed to deliver its third rate cut of the year to support a cooling job market, although lingering inflation risks remain.

Across Asia, Japan’s Nikkei opened lower at 50,530, dropping 498 points or 0.99 percent. South Korea’s Kospi slipped 5 points or 0.12 percent at the open before recovering within 30 minutes. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 102 points or 0.39 percent to 25,833, while Shanghai’s SSE eased 2 points or 0.05 percent to 3,873.

Locally, the Indonesia Stock Exchange flagged several stocks for unusual market activity, including Humpuss Maritim Internasional, Surya Permata Andalan, and Bintang Samudera Mandiri Lines. These counters posted sharp price jumps over the past month: 95 percent, 58.11 percent, and 28.65 percent, respectively, prompting closer monitoring. Investors were urged to review issuers’ responses to the bourse’s queries and assess their disclosures carefully.

The exchange also announced fresh trading suspensions on Folago Global Nusantara, Lima Dua Lima Tiga, and Triniti Dinamik, followed by GTS Internasional, Indomobil Multi Jasa, and Janu Putra Sejahtera. Meanwhile, trading halts were lifted for Puri Sentul Permai and Rockfields Properti Indonesia.

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