Indonesia: Rupiah rebounds in April amid Central Bank intervention
The rupiah traded at IDR 15,400 per USD on 24 April, marking a 7.1% appreciation from the same day of the previous month. The sharp rise was likely driven by some reduction in international uncertainty following massive monetary stimulus plans from major central banks, and FX market intervention by Bank Indonesia.
As analysts at UOB comment: “Stabilization measures and policy mix undertaken by BI, as well as close coordination with the Government and the Financial Services Authority (OJK) have helped stabilise market conditions.”
Nevertheless, the rupiah, which is down 9.9% year-to-date, remains the worst-performing major ASEAN currency so far this year.
Looking ahead, Bank Indonesia believes the currency is still undervalued despite the recent appreciation and sees the rupiah strengthening towards IDR 15,000 per USD by the end of the year, which is broadly in line with FocusEconomics panelists’ forecasts. However, the currency is set to exhibit volatility and remains vulnerable to capital outflows given the high foreign ownership of government bonds and corporate debt