Indonesian shares higher

Indonesian shares ended 1.42 percent higher on Thursday on expectations that the rupiah will continue to strengthen, dealers said. The Jakarta Composite Index gained 18.77 points to 1,341.60 in moderate volume. "Late profit-taking in coal-related stocks offset some gains of the main index," a trader told Dow Jones Newswires.
Car distributor Astra rose 7.1 percent to 14,350 rupiah, Bank Central Asia increased 4.5 percent to 2,925 and telecommunications operator Telkom jumped 3.1 percent to 3,700.