JCI Finally Opens Up 0.30% to 7,564

The Jakarta Composite Index (JCI) opened higher today, Thursday (23 April 2026). The index rose 22.80 points or 0.30% to 7,564.41, recording its first positive performance in a week after three consecutive days of weakening.

A total of 291 shares rose, 58 fell, and 297 remained unchanged. The morning trading value reached Rp 287.25 billion, involving 493.93 million shares in 49,055 transactions. Market capitalisation also climbed to Rp 13,565 trillion.

Shares of Bank Danamon (BDMN), Buana Lintas Lautan (BULL), and Bank Central Asia (BBCA) were the most actively traded at the opening of the first session.

Market participants should monitor several sentiments driving the financial markets today. Record highs on Wall Street, as well as stock markets in Japan and South Korea, are expected to act as positive catalysts for the JCI today. However, the strengthening US dollar index and oil prices could pressure the rupiah.

Oil prices surged again after Iran re-blockaded the Hormuz Strait. At the close of trading on Wednesday (22 April 2026), Brent crude jumped 3.5% to US$101.91 per barrel, the highest in the past two weeks. This also marked the first time Brent has touched US$100 since 8 April 2026.

WTI crude rose 1% to US$92.96 per barrel.

The rise in oil prices contributed to a surge in the US dollar. The dollar index soared to 98.59, its highest in the past 12 days.

The dollar index surge indicates that investors are hunting for dollars and selling non-US dollar denominated investment instruments. This situation could trigger outflows from emerging markets, thereby pressuring the rupiah.

From domestically, Bank Indonesia (BI) again decided to maintain its benchmark BI Rate at 4.75% in April 2026. This was accompanied by holding the deposit facility rate at 3.75% and the lending facility rate at 5.5% in April 2026.

“The Board of Governors’ Meeting of Bank Indonesia on 21 and 22 April decided to maintain the BI Rate at 4.75%,” said BI Governor Perry Warjiyo in an online press conference on Wednesday (22 April 2026).

Perry explained that this decision is consistent with efforts to enhance the effectiveness of adjusting the interest rate structure of monetary operation instruments in strengthening the stabilisation of the rupiah exchange rate from the impact of deteriorating global economic conditions due to the war in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, the Japanese and South Korean stock markets reached new record highs in trading today, Thursday (23 April 2026), following the US stock rise overnight after US President Donald Trump extended the ceasefire, which improved investor sentiment, while optimistic earnings reports also lifted sentiment.

“Given the fact that the Iranian Government is very divided, it is not surprising and, at the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan, we have been asked to delay our attack on Iran until their leaders and representatives can submit a unified proposal,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

The ceasefire will be extended until Tehran submits a proposal or discussions conclude, and the US military will continue the blockade of Iranian ports, according to Trump.

However, the duration remains uncertain. Iranian state media reported on Wednesday that Tehran’s negotiators will not attend talks with the US, calling them a “waste of time.” The lack of commitment from Iran reportedly prompted Vice President JD Vance to postpone his trip to join peace talks. Meanwhile, the Iranian navy also stated that they have seized two container ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

West Texas Intermediate crude rose 0.22% to $93.2 per barrel at 20:34 ET. Brent crude rose 0.39% to $102.25 per barrel.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 index reached an intraday record high of 60,013.98, supported by strong gains in technology stocks. Softbank Group Corp rose more than 6%, while Mitsubishi Industries rose 1.86%.

South Korea’s Kospi index also hit an intraday record high of 6,538.72, up 1.75%. The Kosdaq index for small-cap stocks rose 0.58%. The country’s economy grew more than expected in the first three months of the year, recording the fastest growth since the third quarter of 2020.

The 1.7% growth from January to March over the previous quarter exceeded Reuters’ estimate of 1.0% and recovered from a 0.2% contraction in the previous quarter.

Samsung Electronics shares hit a new intraday record at 227,000. Investors are also monitoring labour developments, as the company union predicts more than 30,000 workers will attend a demonstration in South Korea on Thursday ahead of planned strikes next month.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 index fluctuated, up 0.32%.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index futures were at 26,169, compared to the last close of the index at 26,163.24. Investors will closely monitor the release of March inflation data for the city.

During Wednesday’s regular trading session, the S&P 500 rose 1.05% and closed at 7,137.90, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq rose 1.64% and closed at 24,657.57. Nasdaq reached a new intraday record high in that session.

Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 340.65 points, or 0.69%, and closed at 49,490.03.