The Today's Headlines section of Indonesia Investments is a daily updated section which contains the latest information with regard to topics that are currently causing headlines in Indonesia's media. Most of our headlines will cover political, economic and social matters. As a consequence of their recent nature, these topics may not have crystallized fully yet and can, therefore, lack a profound analysis. For publications with a more in-depth understanding of subjects, we refer you to our News, Financial or Business columns.
Krakatau Bandar Samudera, a subsidiary of Indonesia's largest steel manufacturer Krakatau Steel, got the green light from shareholders to conduct an initial public offering (IPO) on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. Tonno Sapoetra, President Director of Krakatau Bandar Samudera, said the company plans to offer its shares to the public in November 2018.
The Committee for the Acceleration of Priority Infrastructure Delivery (in Indonesian: Komisi Penyediaan Percepatan Infrastruktur Prioritas, or KPPIP), said 14 projects have been removed from the national strategic projects list. KPPIP Program Director Rainier Haryanto said an evaluation showed that these 14 projects failed to meet specific criteria and can therefore not be started - or reach financial close - before the fourth quarter of 2019.
The recent decision of Moody's Investors Service to upgrade Indonesia's sovereign credit rating to Baa2 (stable outlook) brought a wave of fresh air to Indonesia's capital markets at a time when concerns over a global trade war rattled global markets. Moody's cited credible and effective fiscal and monetary policies as key reasons for the rating upgrade.
When looking at the trade data that were released by Indonesia’s Statistics Agency (BPS) on Monday (16/04) there is something interesting about Indonesia’s steel exports. Indonesia is a relatively small steel producing nation (and actually imports about half of its domestic steel consumption, mostly from China) but its iron & steel exports to the USA soared over 1,500 percent month-on-month (m/m) from USD $2.13 million in February 2018 to USD $35 million in March 2018. Reason behind this surge may very well be the trade war between China and the USA.
