In line with the performance of most emerging stock markets and currencies, Indonesian stocks and the rupiah were under pressure on Monday (28/03). The Jakarta Composite Index fell 1.11 percent, while the Indonesian rupiah depreciated 0.73 percent to IDR 13,343 per US dollar (Bloomberg Dollar Index). This performance is caused by rising speculation that the US Federal Reserve could hike its key Fed Fund Rate as early as April. Several Fed officials have made hawkish comments, while the upward revised 1.4 percent GDP growth of the US economy in Q4-2015 may show that the US is strong enough to cope with another rate hike.

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Research institution Supply Chain Indonesia, which mainly focuses on logistics matters, requests the government to reevaluate its plan to use three ports in Banten (West Java) to take over some of the workload of Jakarta's Tanjung Priok port, Indonesia's largest seaport. Due to inefficiencies at Tanjung Priok, which handles about two-thirds of Indonesia's total international trade, dwelling time at this seaport is high and this gives rise to port congestion and high logistics costs. The government therefore wants three ports in Banten to support Tanjung Priok's trade activities.

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The Indonesian government will offer rupiah-denominated government bonds (Surat Utang Negara or SUN) to investors between 10:00 and 12:00 am on Tuesday (29/03). The bond sale has an indicative target of IDR 12 trillion (approx. USD $909 million) but this target can be up-sized to IDR 18 trillion. Tomorrow's bond sale, proceeds of which are to be used to finance Indonesia's 2016 State Budget, involves four series (SPN12170302, FR0056, FR0073, and FR0072). The tender is open to both institutional investors and individual investors.

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Sales of tires in Indonesia are expected to remain bleak in 2016. Azis Pane, Chairman of the Indonesian Tire Companies Association (APBI), said sales of tires this year may only reach 8.5 million units (roughly the same sales figure as in the preceding year), while exports of Indonesian-made tires may fall to 30 million units (from a "normal" figure of 45 million). Domestic tire sales are highly dependent on the nation's car and motorcycle sales. Indonesia's February motorcycle sales declined 5.6 percent (y/y) to 524,864 units in February 2016, after a 17.2 percent (y/y) plunge in the preceding month.

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