International News 15 October 2026
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BSP Governor Remolona Urges Asia to Remember 1990s Crisis and Guard Against a Repeat
Asian countries should recall the events of the region’s financial crisis in the late 1990s and stay alert to the risk of a similar shock, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Eli Remolona warned on Wednesday (October 14, 2026). He said that before the Asian financial crisis began in 1997, the region’s economies saw massive capital inflows, which led the World Bank to describe the period as the East Asian miracle. Speaking on an IMF panel about the outlook for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Remolona said investment poured into Asia and then the crisis hit, because it was not really a miracle after all. “I think we should remember that,” he said, adding that the region needs to be wary of such a crisis and has not done much to scrutinize it. The remarks were made at the IMF and World Bank annual meetings in Bangkok, Thailand, which was the epicenter of the Asian financial crisis.
https://internasional.kontan.co.id/news/negara-asia-harus-waspadai-munculnya-krisis-keuangan-lagi
Rupiah Closes Little Changed, Slightly Weaker Against the Dollar Ahead of US Inflation Data
The rupiah closed relatively stable with a slight tendency to weaken against the US dollar in the spot market on Wednesday (October 14, 2026). The movement came as the greenback softened ahead of the release of inflation data from the United States. According to Bloomberg data, the rupiah ended the day at Rp17,903 per US dollar in the spot market, down a marginal 0.01% from Tuesday’s (October 13, 2026) close of Rp17,900. Meanwhile, Bank Indonesia’s Jakarta Interbank Spot Dollar Rate (Jisdor) strengthened 0.18% to Rp17,898 per dollar, from the previous Rp17,930.
US Inflation Seen Rising in September on Fuel and Food Costs, Adding Pressure on Trump Before Midterms
US inflation is expected to have increased in September 2026 as gasoline and food prices climbed. The surge in living costs adds political pressure on President Donald Trump and the Republican Party ahead of the midterm elections on November 3, 2026. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) report, due from the US Labor Department on Wednesday (October 14, 2026), is drawing close attention from markets and policymakers. Its release follows several surveys showing weaker consumer sentiment and a slide in Trump’s approval ratings amid growing public complaints about the cost of living. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that about 78% of Americans blame Trump’s policies, including import tariffs and the US-Israel war with Iran, for price increases that have outpaced wage growth. Even so, the CPI report is expected to show a more moderate rise in prices excluding the volatile food and energy components. That could ease the urgency for the US Federal Reserve to raise interest rates again this October.