Indonesia Stocks Rise at Open Amid US Policy Uncertainty and Asian Market Pressure
Jakarta. Jakarta Composite Index (JCI) opened higher on Friday, rising 6.13 points (0.07 percent) to 8,378.12. The benchmark index moved in a narrow range of 8,370–8,386 in early trade.
RTI data showed 1.4 billion shares exchanged hands within minutes of market open, with a transaction value of Rp 713.03 billion ($42.64 million) across 103,225 trades.
Pilarmas Investindo Sekuritas said investors remain uneasy as the prolonged US government shutdown has stalled the release of key economic indicators. The firm noted that markets fear the delayed data may reveal deeper economic weakness, especially after the October jobs report omitted unemployment figures. Rising layoffs have also led to concerns that the jobless rate could climb above 4.5 percent.
The uncertainty was compounded by comments from Federal Reserve official Neel Kashkari, who signaled doubts over a December rate cut. Market expectations for a December policy easing have since slipped to 49.5 percent, pressuring risk appetite and weighing on Asian markets.
On a positive note, Pilarmas highlighted that Trump has now signed legislation to end the 43-day shutdown, the longest in US history. Government operations are expected to resume on Thursday, though bureaucratic recovery may take time. “The shutdown was earlier estimated to shave up to 1.5 points from US real GDP growth this quarter. The House has approved stopgap funding through January 30, but markets remain cautious about the possibility of another fiscal standoff,” the brokerage wrote.
Wall Street extended its losses on Thursday, marking one of its worst sessions since this year’s spring sell-off as Nvidia and other major AI stocks slid on valuation concerns. Investors also questioned whether the interest-rate cuts they have been counting on will materialize.
The S&P 500 tumbled 1.7 percent to 6,737.49, its weakest day in a month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average sank 797.60 points (1.7 percent) to 47,457.22, while the Nasdaq plunged 536.10 points (2.3 percent) to 22,870.36. Nvidia dropped 3.6 percent, becoming the heaviest drag on the market.
Mirroring Wall Street’s slump, Asia opened lower. Japan’s Nikkei shed 571 points (1 percent) to 50,767. China’s SSE slipped 22 points (0.55 percent) to 4,007, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 413 points (1.55 percent) to 26,660. South Korea’s KOSPI posted the sharpest loss, dropping 109 points (2.7 percent) to 4,061.
Back on the Indonesia Stock Exchange, the bourse reopened trading for two stocks: Soho Global Health (SOHO) and Puri Sentul Permai (KDTN). KDTN had been suspended since November 13, while SOHO had been halted since October 29. IDX said the suspensions were part of a cooling-down measure to protect investors. Both counters resumed trading in the first session on the regular and cash markets Friday.
Tags: Keywords:
