logo
Indonesia's central bank surprises with rate cut

Indonesia's central bank surprises with rate cut

Reuters18 hours ago
JAKARTA, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Indonesia's central bank cut interest rates in a surprise move on Wednesday, stepping up support for Southeast Asia's largest economy against a backdrop of global uncertainties.
Bank Indonesia (BI) trimmed the benchmark 7-day reverse repurchase rate (IDCBRR=ECI), opens new tab by 25 basis points to 5.00%, its fifth rate cut since September taking the rate to its lowest level since late 2022.
Only five of 29 economists polled by Reuters had expected a cut on Wednesday. The rest expected rates to be held steady.
The overnight deposit (IDCBID=ECI), opens new tab and lending (IDCBIL=ECI), opens new tab rates were also cut by the same amount to 4.25% and 5.75%, respectively.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

World Business Report  Federal Reserve comes under pressure as interest rate decision looms
World Business Report  Federal Reserve comes under pressure as interest rate decision looms

BBC News

time2 hours ago

  • BBC News

World Business Report Federal Reserve comes under pressure as interest rate decision looms

The Chair of the Federal Reserve chair are under scrutiny from Donald Trump after fraud allegations emerge about Governor Lisa Cook. How will it affect the interest rate decision? The authorities in Pakistan's commercial capital Karachi have declared an emergency and a public holiday after monsoon rains paralysed the city. We hear from the local business owner. Sony PlayStation increased the price on its console. Is it one of the consequences of the trade war? And we look at Denmark's decision to tax cow and sheep burps for greenhouse gas reasons. You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033.

BOJ chief's dogged caution tempers board's hawkish instincts
BOJ chief's dogged caution tempers board's hawkish instincts

Reuters

time2 hours ago

  • Reuters

BOJ chief's dogged caution tempers board's hawkish instincts

TOKYO, Aug 21 (Reuters) - In 2024, Kazuo Ueda delivered Japan's first interest rate hike in 17 years, a bold shift for a central bank once dominated by advocates of ultra-loose monetary settings - now, the Bank of Japan head is among the policy board's least hawkish members. The 73-year-old governor will attend the Federal Reserve's Jackson Hole annual symposium this week, where Chair Jerome Powell's assessment of the American economy and hints on the next U.S. rate cut will be factors in Japan's own deliberations. Ueda has become one of the more cautious members of the BOJ's nine-member board in recent months and his concerns about the economic impact of U.S. tariffs are likely to provide some restraint among his fellow policymakers who are calling for more rate hikes, analysts and sources say. An analysis in the BOJ's recent outlook report in part underscores his caution over the expected hit to Japan's economy from tariffs that could complicate its decision around the timing of the next rate hike. "Japan's trade deal with the U.S. reduced, but did not eliminate, uncertainty over tariffs," said a source familiar with the central bank's thinking, a view echoed by another source. "It's too early for the BOJ to be optimistic on Japan's economy." Ueda has faced growing calls from within his board to pay more attention to mounting inflationary pressure in Japan's once deflation-prone economy. A U.S. rate cut could push up the yen against the dollar, which may ease concern about the inflationary impact of a weak yen - but could hurt exporters' profits depending on the pace. Stubbornly high food inflation has led some BOJ board members to warn of second-round price effects that could warrant another rate hike, a summary of the bank's July meeting showed. The hawkish signals contrast with Ueda's post-meeting comments justifying going slow on rate hikes on the view underlying inflation, which focuses on domestic demand and wages, remains below the BOJ's target. "Governor Ueda appears to pay particularly close attention to the U.S. economy," said former BOJ board member Takahide Kiuchi. "If he becomes more convinced that the U.S. economy will stabilise, the BOJ could eye a rate hike this year." On the surface, the hawks appear to be gaining an upper hand. Among current board members, three - Naoki Tamura, Hajime Takata and Junko Koeda - are seen by markets as hawks due in part to their recent comments warning that rising food prices could risk leading to broader-based, sustained inflation. Deputy governor Ryozo Himino, who once warned that keeping real interest rates negative for too long would be "abnormal", is considered the most hawkish among the BOJ's leadership. By contrast, the doves, who dominated the board when Ueda's predecessor Haruhiko Kuroda deployed a massive stimulus in 2013, have seen their presence and voice diminished. Toyoaki Nakamura, who voted against a rate hike in January, retired in June and was succeeded by Kazuyuki Masu, who is seen as taking a neutral stance on policy. Once a fan of heavy money printing, Asahi Noguchi has also turned more neutral and voted for raising rates in January. Such shifts in the board's policy bias put Ueda and his career central banker-turned deputy Shinichi Uchida in the more dovish camp, as their comments continue to focus on downside risks to Japan's fragile economy. Their caution reflects the BOJ's preference to await more data to gauge whether the global economy, including Japan's, will withstand the hit from U.S. tariffs, say sources familiar with the bank's thinking. It also reflects lingering worries within the BOJ that the damage to exports and capital expenditure will intensify in coming months - as predicted by the bank's economists. In analyses included in the July quarterly outlook, BOJ economists warned company profits are likely to fall this year because of U.S. tariffs, hurting capital expenditure. There is good reason to worry. While Japan's trade deal with the U.S. agreed to cut tariffs for its mainstay auto exports, Washington has not made clear the timing of the reduction. Many analysts expect exports, which lifted Japan's second-quarter GDP, to lose momentum later this year as the hit from U.S. tariffs deepens. Even hawkish board members warn such risks could warrant caution on rate hikes. "We need to scrutinise whether any negative impact from U.S. tariffs could appear," board member Takata said in a speech on July 3. Despite the board's hawkish tilt, Ueda's cautious stance may prevail given the influence the governor holds over BOJ decision making. With support from staff of key divisions, the governor prepares proposals on policy and interest rates for a vote by the board. Most have been approved unanimously or by a majority, including the BOJ's exit from a decade-long stimulus last year. The governor's proposal has never been voted down since the current board framework took shape in 1998. "I don't see any tough negotiator in the current board who could stage a revolt. It's hard to imagine the hawks proposing a rate hike against the governor's will," said former BOJ official Nobuyasu Atago, who used to be staff for hawkish ex-board member Miyako Suda. "Governor Ueda's leadership within the board appears to be fairly strong."

New Zealand central bank says tariff uncertainties hit business confidence
New Zealand central bank says tariff uncertainties hit business confidence

Reuters

time3 hours ago

  • Reuters

New Zealand central bank says tariff uncertainties hit business confidence

WELLINGTON, Aug 21 (Reuters) - New Zealand's central bank said on Thursday the effects of interest rate cuts on the local economy had been slower than expected with uncertainties swirling over tariffs hitting business and consumer confidence. Higher tariffs and trade barriers have created a negative demand shock for the world, Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) Governor Christian Hawkesby told a parliamentary committee. The RBNZ on Wednesday cut its policy rate by 25 basis points to a three-year low of 3.00% and flagged further reductions in coming months. The central bank has slashed rates by 250 basis points since August 2024 to spur economic growth. "What we're seeing is the reaction to our interest rate cuts so far being a bit slower than we anticipated," Hawkesby said. He added that this was in part because of the announcements in April on what U.S. President Donald Trump called "Liberation Day" and all the policy uncertainty that has surrounded this. "The surprise for us since May has been what a prolonged impact that's had on business and consumer confidence in New Zealand, despite the fact that we are kind of outside of those worst case scenarios," he added. The U.S. has placed a 15% tariff on goods being imported from New Zealand, which was worse than the 10% initially signalled but not as bad as many other trading partners. Hawkesby said while this would impact a number of New Zealand industries, the greater impact would be how a softer global economy reduced demand for goods and services. "That's what we are focused on in terms of the way that we set interest rates," he said. The central bank is expecting New Zealand's economy to start to improve. "There is a light at the end of the tunnel," Hawkesby said, adding that the RBNZ thinks the second quarter is the low in the economic cycle. "We're seeing growth pick up through that second half of this year."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store