BEI INDEX CLOSES 27 POINTS HIGHER ON REGIONAL BOURSE GAINS

Jakarta, Aug. 24 (ANTARA) - The Composite Stock Price Index (IHSG) at the Indonesian Stock Exchange (BEI) here on Monday morning closed 27 points higher.

The BEI index went up 27.259 points or 1.17 percent to 2,361.156 and the LQ45 index surged 5.830 points or 1.28 percent to 461.498.

The Indonesian stocks were bolstered by regional bourse gains, according to an analysis of PT Trimegah Securities here on Monday.

Regional bourses strengthened on early Monday after the Wall Street bourse closed 155 points higher at 9,505 points last Friday thanks to an increase in sales of existing homes in July and a remark by Federal Reserve Chief Benarke that the prospects for global economic recovery had started to improve.

BEI transactions were dominated by gains (120) with only 42 shares registering losses and 59 remaining static.

Bumi Resources shares strengthened 75 to Rp3,050, Indofood shares surged Rp100 to Rp2,625, Bank Danamon shares rose Rp200 to Rp4,800, United Tractor shares added Rp650 to Rp13,650, and Bank Mandiri shares which advanced Rp100 to Rp5,175.

The number of share transactions in morning trading reached 54,909 with a total of 2.965 billion shares traded at a total value of Rp2.296 trillion.

Meanwhile, the rupiah significantly strengthened against the US dollar in the Jakarta interbank spot market here early Monday as investors purchased the local currency following regional bourse gains.

The Indonesian currency traded at Rp9,960-Rp9,975 per US dollar, up 85 points from Rp10,045-Rp10,055 at the market's close last weekend.