• Boosting Economic Activity in Indonesia: Stimulus Package to See Daylight this Month

    The government of Indonesia is still busy preparing the policy package that was announced last week by Chief Economics Minister Darmin Nasution. Earlier it was reported that this stimulus package, expected to be finalized this month, involves deregulation and tax holidays designed to boost economic activity in Indonesia as well as to attract foreign currency inflows. The government will also look at how it can provide incentives to accelerate smelter development in Southeast Asia’s largest economy.

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  • Unemployment in Indonesia: Layoffs in the Textile & Commodity Industries

    Andi Gani Nenawea, Chairman of the Confederation of All Indonesian Workers' Union (KSPSI), said that layoffs in Indonesia could reach up to 100,000 in 2015 as various companies are cutting on operational costs amid the nation’s slowing economic growth. The most severely affected industries are the textile industry and commodities (such as the coal and oil & gas sectors).

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  • Amid Global Concern Indonesian Stocks & Rupiah Weaken on Wednesday

    Global markets are again facing rough times after China’s manufacturing activity fell to a three-year low in July 2015, yet another sign that the world’s second-largest economy is slowing faster than earlier estimated (and this surely impacts negatively on the global economy). Concerns about China led to plunging stock indices from Japan to New York on Tuesday (01/09). Moreover, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde, who is on a visit in Indonesia, said the IMF may soon cut its forecast for global economic growth in 2015 again (from 3.3 percent currently).

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  • Indonesian Stocks & Rupiah: Markets Down on China’s Weak Manufacturing

    In line with nearly all other Asian stock markets, Indonesia’s benchmark Jakarta Composite Index (IHSG) plunged 2.15 percent to 4,412.46 points on Tuesday (01/09). After Asian trade had closed European and US indices also plummeted severely. The main reason is today’s announcement that China’s manufacturing fell to a three-year low in August 2015, yet another sign that China’s economic growth is declining faster than estimated. The country’s manufacturing PMI dropped to 49.7 in August from 50.0 in July (a reading below 50.0 indicates contraction).

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