JAKARTA: Indonesia's central bank kept policy rates unchanged on Wednesday, defying market expectations of another rate hike following back-to-back increases aimed at shoring up the rupiah currency.
Bank Indonesia left the 7-day reverse repurchase rate unchanged at 5.75%. Twenty of 33 economists polled by Reuters had expected another 25 basis point hike, while the rest had correctly predicted no change.
It also kept the overnight deposit facility and lending facility rates unchanged at 4.75% and 6.50%, respectively.
BI has raised rates by a total of 100 basis points since May in a bid to attract foreign inflows to shore up the rupiah, which has come under pressure amid concerns about Indonesia's fiscal health, the independence of its central bank and controversial commodity export policies. - Reuters
