The Indonesian rupiah slipped toward IDR 16,750 per dollar on Friday after briefly firming near 16,730 in the prior session, as holiday-thinned trading weighed on sentiment. Renewed bets on lower interest rates added pressure after Governor Perry Warjiyo signaled policymakers still have room to ease, citing mild inflation and the need to support growth following the late-November disaster in Sumatra. Earlier this month, Bank Indonesia kept its benchmark rate at 4.75% for a third straight meeting, after cutting a total of 150bps between September 2024 and September 2025. Caution also grew ahead of key domestic releases next week, including December inflation and November trade data. For the week, the rupiah is set for a second straight decline, extending its year-to-date drop to about 4% and ranking among Asia’s weakest currencies. Downside was capped by a softer US dollar, with the dollar index hovering near its lowest since early October as markets priced in Fed rate cuts for 2026.
