2. Duit (2 x 24)
2. Duit (2 x 24) Asian currencies mixed, yen rally helps some JP/ Asian Currencies Mixed Late; Late Yen Rally Helps Some
Asian currencies were mixed against the dollar Wednesday, with the South Korean won and New Taiwan dollar strengthening on the back of gains in local stock markets and a late session yen rally.
The Singapore dollar and Indonesian rupiah also advanced, while the Philippine peso and Thai baht lost ground against the U.S. currency.
The dollar, which has dominated currency markets regionally and globally during the past two days began showing signs of fatigue in the afternoon session against both the yen and euro.
The dollar opened the Asian trading day stronger against the yen on the heels of better-than-expected U.S. retail sales data for April and a strong performance in U.S. stock markets. The Nasdaq Composite Index rose 4.0 percent, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 1.9 percent.
But a follow-up rally on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, as well as news that Japan's current account surplus increased by 52 percent in March from a year earlier, gave investors reason to buy back the yen.
3. IT (2 x 20) IT product retail sales up 15 percent JP/ / IT product retail sales up 15 percent this year
The sales of Information Technology (IT) solutions and services for the retailing sector in Indonesia is predicted to reach US$80 million this year, an increase of about 15 percent from around US$70 million last year.
Pawan Murari, the retailing unit chairman of PT Sejatibina Delta Informatika (SDI) Technologies, said that next year the sales would also grow at least 15 percent. More than 70 percent of the sales would be for hardware and the rest for software.
SDI, an IT solutions and services provider, was founded in 1995 and has expanded to Australia, France, the U.S. and India.
"Actually the IT market for the retailing sector here is very potential. There are 60 local retailers here. But most of them have not yet applied to the IT solutions and services," he told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.