FOREX TRADING

StockWatch (Jakarta) - The Dow Jones Industrial Averages (DJIA) closed slightly higher in the trading on Wednesday (11/3) by 3.91 points (0.06%) at 6,930.40 as Standard & Poors 500 (S&P500) Index rose 1.76 points (0.24%) at 721.36 and Nasdaq Composite Index (NCI) stepped up 13.36 points (0.98%) at 1,371.64.

Dow was up tracking shares of financial sector after reports that JP Morgan recorded net profit in the period of January-February 2009, like Citigroup Inc said the day before. Dow's increase was relatively slight on decline in energy sector's shares after fuel price decline.

In Asia Pacific, the stock markets were mixed in the morning trading on Thursday (12/3) as Japan's Nikkei 225 index at 09:46 local time dropped 33.46 points (0.46%) at 7,342.66, South Korea's Kospi Index at 09:46 Seoul time rose 4.60 points (0.41%) at 1,132.15 and Australia's All Ordinaries Index at 12:04 local time stepped up 0.40 point (0.01%) at 3,199.50. (yan)

StockWatch (Jakarta) - Rupiah weakened slightly by five points versus the US dollar at the Jakarta interbank spot market today (Wednesday 11/3) at IDR11,985 compared to Tuesday (10/3) closing at IDR11,980.

A foreign currency analyst in Jakarta said rupiah depreciated as trading activities tended to be limited, while the lacking incentive in the market caused investors to run for the US dollar. "Traders are watching how they solve the global crisis, so they have carried out trading cautiously," he said. He expects rupiah to weaken at IDR11,900-12,000 in Thursday's (12/3) trading.

But rupiah was mixed against the other foreign currencies and the rate versus the Singapore dollar depreciated at IDR7,784.92 from 7,803.06 as the rate versus the Hong Kong dollar appreciated at IDR1,564.54 from 1,547.81, the rate versus the Australian dollar weakened at IDR7,732.58 from 7,686.80, and the rate versus the euro strengthened at IDR15,204.86 from 15,267.36. (konrad/bw)