Stopping the Free Fall

Raising interest rates on Bank Indonesia Certificates hasn't strengthened the rupiah. More effective would be stopping forex earned from exports being deposited overseas. But how?

April 3, 2001

IT seems as if Bank Indonesia (BI) has tried just about everything, but despite all its efforts the value of the rupiah still continues to fall, unchecked. As well as tightening supervision of banks involved in dollar transactions, BI has also tried market intervention. And don't ask just how many dollars BI has bought up in order to prop up the rupiah. BI Governor Syahril Sabirin is keeping his lips sealed, but it is estimated the foreign exchang...

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