Astra International, one of the largest publicly-listed companies in Indonesia, saw its net profit rise 31 percent year-on-year (y/y) to IDR 9.36 trillion (approx. USD $704 million) in the first half of 2017. These earnings were supported by improving earnings from most of the diversified conglomerate's business segments. But as the company generates nearly half of its earnings from the automotive sector, the 9.4 percent (y/y) increase in the company's car sales was particularly key to boost growth.

Lanjut baca ›

There is concern about forest fires on parts of the islands Sumatra and Kalimantan. Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, said five Indonesian provinces - Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, and South Kalimantan - declared emergencies as peat-lands are burning and there are risks of fires spreading to nearby regions. Eighteen helicopters have been deployed to combat the fires.

Lanjut baca ›

There are several reasons why the number of corporate bond sales in Indonesia is still low compared to other Asian countries (even though we do detect a rising trend in Indonesia from year to year). Anup Kumar, senior fixed income analyst at Maybank Indonesia, said the number of corporate bonds sales in Indonesia is on the rise this year, but total outstanding bonds in Indonesia is considerably lower than in other Asian nations. What explains this situation?

Lanjut baca ›

The price of coal rose at the end of trading on Wednesday (26/07) in line with strengthening crude oil prices. Coal futures (January 2018 contracts, the most-active contract on the Rotterdam commodities exchange), finished 0.03 percent higher at USD $73.15 per metric ton. Hence, coal extended its rise after a 1.04 percent increase on the previous trading day (25/07).

Lanjut baca ›