JAKARTA STOCKS GAIN ON POSITIVE REGIONAL SENTIMENT

Jakarta, Sept. 15 (ANTARA) - The Composite Stock Price Index (IHSG) at the Indonesian Stock Exchange (BEI) here on Tuesday morning traded slightly higher on positive sentiment in regional bourses.

The BEI index went up 17.314 points or 0.75 percent to 2,400.691 points and the LQ-45 index rose 4,095 (0.91 percent) to 468.099 points.

The country's capital market was dominated by buying actin which boosted the BEI index, Edwin Sinaga, a domestic stock market observer, said.

The buying of Indonesian stocks was prompted by a strong tendency toward the US second stimulus package needed to support the US economy, which was still ailing and gripped by recession, he said.

The second stimulus package indicated that the global economic crisis was not over and even needed fresh injections to recover, he explained.

Among the domestic shares which surged were those of Bukit Asam which went up Rp400 to 14,100, United Tractor which advanced Rp150 to Rp14,150, and BUMI that climbed 12 to Rp3,200.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian currency traded Rp9,930-Rp9,945 per US dollar, up 10 points from Rp9,940-Rp9,955 per US dollar at the market's close a day earlier.

Investors' demand for the local currency might further increase in the runup to the Idul Fitri festivity, prompting the currency to gain, Harry Kurniawan, a local money market observer, said here on Tuesday.

Harry Kurniawan of PT Makinta Securities predicted that the rupiah might further surge to the level of Rp9,900 per US dollar this week. The rupiah was also boosted by gains in regional bourses which has surged in straight fifth day, he said.