Indonesia Stock Market Tipped To Open In The Green

(RTTNews) - The Indonesia stock market ticked higher again on Friday, one day after snapping the six-day winning streak in which it had rallied more than 410 points or 4.7 percent. The Jakarta Composite Index now sits just above the 8,935-point plateau and it's got a firm lead for Monday's trade.

The global forecast for the Asian markets is upbeat on an improved outlook for interest rates. The European and U.S. markets were up and the Asian bourses are expected to follow that lead.

The JCI finished slightly higher on Friday following gains from the resource and cement sectors, while the food and telecom stocks were soft and the financial shares were mixed.

For the day, the index rose 11.28 points or 0.13 percent to finish at 8,936.75 after trading between 8,908.17 and 8,981.02.

Among the actives, Bank CIMB Niaga rose 0.28 percent, while Bank Mandiri skidded 1.04 percent, Bank Danamon Indonesia climbed 1.19 percent, Bank Negara Indonesia sank 0.71 percent, Bank Central Asia collected 0.93 percent, Bank Rakyat Indonesia dropped 0.81 percent, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison shed 0.46 percent, Indocement strengthened 1.47 percent, Semen Indonesia improved 0.77 percent, Indofood Sukses Makmur fell 0.38 percent, United Tractors lost 0.47 percent, Astra International tumbled 1.79 percent, Energi Mega Persada vaulted 1.22 percent, Astra Agro Lestari slumped 0.32 percent, Aneka Tambang surged 4.01 percent, Vale Indonesia rallied 5.00 percent, Timah spiked 2.05 percent and Bumi Resources soared 2.07 percent.

The lead from Wall Street is positive as the major averages opened higher on Friday and remained in the green throughout the trading day, ending near session highs.

The Dow jumped 237.96 points or 0.48 percent to finish at a record 49,504.07, while the NASDAQ rallied 191.33 points or 0.81 percent to end at 23,671.35 and the S&P 500 added 44.82 points or 0.65 percent to close at 6,966.28, also a record.

For the week, the Dow surged 2.3 percent, the NASDAQ jumped 1.9 percent and the S&P climbed 1.6 percent.

The strength on Wall Street reflected a positive reaction to the Labor Department's closely watched report on employment in December. With the report showing employment increased less than expected in December, the data has led to optimism about the outlook for interest rates.

While the Federal Reserve is still widely expected to leave interest rates unchanged at its next meeting later this month, the report has increased confidence in further rate cuts later this year.

Crude oil prices surged on Friday amid near-term supply concerns due to ongoing geopolitical tensions, a decline in U.S. inventories, and OPEC's decision to pause output increases. West Texas Intermediate crude for February delivery was up $1.58 or 2.74 percent at $59.34 per barrel.

Closer to home, Indonesia will release November numbers for retail sales later this morning; in October, sales were up 4.3 percent on year.