Rupiah Opens Lower, Eyes Limited Gains on Weak US Data

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The rupiah opened lower in Jakarta on Thursday, February 12, 2026, slipping 25 points, or 0.15 percent, to IDR 16,811 per US dollar from IDR 16,786 previously.

However, Bank Woori Saudara analyst Rully Nova said the rupiah could post limited gains, supported by weaker U.S. economic data.

“The rupiah in today’s trading is expected to continue strengthening, though still limited to the range of Rp16,750–Rp16,800, influenced by weak US economic data that signal the possibility of monetary easing by the Fed,” he said in Jakarta on Thursday, as quoted by Antara.

The United States reported that retail sales in December 2025 were flat at 0.0 percent month-to-month, slowing from November and falling short of the market expectation of 0.4 percent growth.

Meanwhile, US non-farm payrolls rose by 130,000 in January 2026, exceeding the projection of 70,000 and following an increase of 181,000 in December 2025. However, total non-farm job growth for 2025 was revised down sharply to 181,000 from 584,000.

Market participants are also awaiting the release of US inflation data, which is projected to remain broadly unchanged from the previous period at 0.3 percent month-to-month and 2.7 percent year-on-year.

On the domestic front, he said, investors are closely watching Indonesia’s economic fundamentals and the government’s fiscal space. “Indonesia’s economy is largely supported by household spending. However, the upward trend in inflation going forward will continue and could erode people’s purchasing power,” Lukman said. ***