BEI INDEX DOWN ON WALL STREET LOSSES

Jakarta, Sept. 2 (ANTARA) - The Composite Stock Price Index (IHSG) at the Indonesian Stock Exchange (BEI) here on Wednesday morning opened lower as regional bourses also slumped following Wall Street losses.

The BEI Index went down 33.805 points or 1.41 percent to 2,293.908 and the LQ-45 index dropped 6.920 points or 1.59 percent to 445.806 points.

Negative sentiment hit the Indonesian bourse due to the slump in regional bourses as Wall Street lost, Harry Kurniawan, a stock market observer of PT Makinta Securities, said.

As a consequence, Indonesian stocks fell 32.805 points to 2,293.908, he said.

Astra Group shares decreased Rp650 to Rp39,950, Astra Agro Lestari shares weakened Rp650 to Rp20,650, United Tractor shares fell Rp100 to Rp13,100, state bank BRI shares dropped to Rp7,250, Bank Danamon shares plunged Rp100 to Rp4,600, BCA shares lost Rp100 to Rp4,275 per share.

Investors were closely monitoring economic indicators of several other countries, including concerning the increased unemployment rate in the United States, he said.

Meanwhile, the rupiah weakened the US dollar in the Jakarta interbank spot market here on Wednesday morning as investors released the local currency.

The Indonesian currency traded at Rp10,120-Rp10,130 per US dollar, down 50 points at the market's close a day earlier.

The rupiah plunged as investors were waiting for developments in the economic indicators of several countries, especially the United States. Rully Nova, domestic money market of PT Bank Himpunan Saudara Tbk., said here on Wednesday.

Investors were waiting for report on unemployment rate in the United States, which was expected to increase, he said.

The expected rupiah depreciation was also due to the Wall Street losses and Indonesia's August 2009 inflation rate which was a little bit higher than a month earlier, he said.