Indonesia Stock Market May Crack Resistance At 7,500 Points

(RTTNews) - The Indonesia stock market has moved higher in four straight sessions, gathering almost 150 points or 2.2 percent along the way. The Jakarta Composite Index now sits just above the 7,460-point plateau and it's expected to open in the green again on Thursday.

The global forecast for the Asian markets is upbeat on improved optimism about the outlook for interest rates. The European markets were up and the U.S. bourses were mostly higher and the Asian markets figure to follow suit.

For the day, the index rose 11.46 points or 0.15 percent to finish at 7,464.75 after trading between 7,444.17 and 7,530.56.

Among the actives, Bank CIMB Niaga sank 0.83 percent, while Bank Danamon Indonesia collected 0.38 percent, Bank Negara Indonesia shed 0.49 percent, Bank Central Asia improved 0.72 percent, Bank Rakyat Indonesia added 0.46 percent, Bank Maybank Indonesia advanced 0.92 percent, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison gathered 0.40 percent, Indocement spiked 2.86 percent, Semen Indonesia soared 3.93 percent, Indofood Sukses Makmur gained 0.61 percent, United Tractors retreated 1.51 percent, Astra International rose 0.48 percent, Energi Mega Persada strengthened 1.61 percent, Astra Agro Lestari lost 0.40 percent, Aneka Tambang retreated 1.54 percent, Jasa Marga rallied 2.02 percent, Vale Indonesia fell 0.27 percent, Timah increased 0.41 percent, Bumi Resources stumbled 2.03 percent and Bank Mandiri was unchanged.

The lead from Wall Street is mixed to higher as the major averages opened in the green on Wednesday, although the Dow was unable to hold those gains.

The Dow dropped 99.27 points or 0.22 percent to finish at 44,148.56, while the NASDAQ surged 347.65 points or 1.77 percent to close at a record 20,034.89 and the S&P 500 rallied 49.28 points or 0.82 percent to end at 6,084.19.

The strength in the broader markets followed the release of closely watched inflation data that came in line with estimates.

With the data matching expectations, the report has increased confidence that the Federal Reserve will lower interest rates by another quarter-point next week.

CME Group's FedWatch Tool is currently indicating a 98.6 percent chance the Fed will cut rates by 25 basis points at its December meeting.

Oil futures settled higher Wednesday on possible sanctions on Russia by the European Union, expectations of increased demand from China and data showing a jump in gasoline stockpiles. West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures for January closed up $1.70 or 2.5 percent at $70.29 a barrel.