Rupiah Slips to 17,602 per Dollar as Fed, Mideast Weigh
Showed the rupiah sliding to 17,600 per US dollar on Friday, May 15, 2026, with Google data later showing 17,602 on Saturday morning. Traders are watching Fed…
JAKARTA — kurs usd hari ini turned weaker for the Indonesian rupiah on Friday, May 15, 2026, when the currency slumped to 17,600 per US dollar during the long weekend. Google data showed the rupiah at 17,602 on Saturday morning, May 16, 2026.
The move matters because it puts fresh pressure on the currency while markets watch the U.S. Federal Reserve, Middle East tensions, and Bank Indonesia’s room to respond during a holiday period. The rupiah had little support from overseas trading, and that made the decline more visible.
Ibrahim Asuaibi, Director of PT Traze Andalan Futures, said the weakening was driven by escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and by the direction of interest rates set by the U.S. central bank, the Fed. He also pointed to a leadership change at the Fed.
“The leadership of The Fed has shifted from Jerome Powell to Kevin Warsh,” Ibrahim said on Friday, May 15, 2026. He added that U.S. inflation and gasoline prices could keep the Fed from cutting rates in 2026.
kurs usd hari ini and the Fed shift
Ibrahim said the Fed’s policy path remains a major factor for the rupiah. “Most likely, considering the significant inflation in America and the continuously rising gasoline prices, it has a significant impact on inflation. It is highly likely that in 2026, the U.S. central bank will not lower interest rates,” he stated.
That view helps explain why traders kept a close eye on U.S. rate expectations. A stronger dollar usually leaves currencies such as the rupiah under pressure, and the latest move showed how quickly sentiment can shift when policy expectations change.
Bank Indonesia also faces a narrower field of action during the long weekend. Ibrahim said the central bank can only intervene in the international market during that period, which affects the rupiah overseas. That limitation matters now. The market is moving, but local support is constrained.
If the rupiah keeps weakening, the risk is not just a weaker chart on a screen. Imported costs can rise, foreign exchange markets can become more volatile, and businesses exposed to dollar payments may feel the squeeze first. For households, the impact can show up later through higher prices on goods tied to imported inputs.
What traders are watching next
Ibrahim predicted the rupiah could weaken to 18,000 per US dollar by the end of May 2026. He said that if the currency reaches that level, it could weaken further to 22,000 per US dollar.
He also said Bank Indonesia would likely respond if the rupiah breaches 18,000 per US dollar or even 22,000 per US dollar. In that case, he expects the central bank to raise the benchmark interest rate, or BI Rate, next June.
“It could be a 25 to 50 basis point increase. The aim is to stabilize the rupiah,” he said.
The pressure point now sits between global policy expectations and domestic defense. kurs usd hari ini stays near 17,600, and the next marker traders are watching is whether the rupiah can hold before the end of May 2026.
Source: en.tempo.co
