The Today's Headlines section of Indonesia Investments is a regularly updated section which contains the latest information with regard to topics that are currently causing headlines in Indonesia's media. Most of our headlines 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.
The Statistics Agency (BPS) announced that Indonesia's headline inflation reached 0.17 percent month-on-month (m/m) in February 2018. This is a lower inflation rate compared to February 2017 (+0.23 percent m/m), hence the country's annual headline inflation eased to 3.18 percent (y/y) in February 2018, from 3.25 percent (y/y) in the preceding month.
Financial investment management company Kresna Graha Investama said it is preparing the initial public offering (IPO) of three subsidiaries on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in the second half of 2018. All three subsidiaries are engaged in the country's digital sector. However, at this stage, Kresna Graha Investama Managing Director Suryandy Jahja only mentioned the name of one unit that is to list, namely Match Move Indonesia.
Based on the Bloomberg Dollar Index the Indonesian rupiah depreciated 0.53 percent to IDR 13,751 per US dollar on Wednesday (28/02), the weakest level against the greenback in slightly over two years. The weakening of the rupiah is in line with the performance of most other currencies as the US dollar is at a three-week high after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell struck a hawkish tone in his first congressional testimony.
One of Indonesia's biggest diversified conglomerates (and therefore often labelled the barometer of the Indonesian economy), Astra International, posted a solid 25 percent year-on-year (y/y) growth of net profit to IDR 18.9 trillion (approx. USD $1.39 billion) in full-year 2017. Meanwhile, the company's net revenue rose 13.8 percent (y/y) to IDR 206.1 trillion (approx. USD $15.2 billion).
