• Foreign Investors Keen on Investing in Indonesia's Food Sector

    The food sector is one of the sectors within Indonesia's manufacturing industry that continues to lure foreign investors. This statement is based on the latest report of the Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), the investment services agency of the Indonesian government, released in late December. The agency notes that applications by investors for principle licenses in the food sector in the period 1 January to 28 December 2015 were worth a total of IDR 184.9 trillion (approx. USD $13.5 billion).

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  • Crime in Indonesia: Jakarta Slightly Safer in 2015

    The crime rate in Indonesia's capital city of Jakarta fell slightly in 2015. Whereas in 2014 there occurred 44,687 crime cases in Jakarta, the following year the number had fallen to 44,304 cases, a mere 0.87 percent decline (year-on-year). Inspector General Tito Karnavian, Chief of the Jakarta Metropolitan Police Command, said this decline is an indication that effectiveness and efficiency of crime prevention has improved. In 2015 one out of every 513 people in Jakarta became victim of crime.

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  • Stock Market Indonesia: Performance Jakarta Composite Index in 2015

    The last trading day of 2015 on the Indonesia Stock Exchange has passed and now it is time to look back on the performance of Indonesia's benchmark stock index (Jakarta Composite Index) and the rupiah during 2015. The year 2015 was a hectic year, characterized by volatile behavior due to uncertainty about the timing of the looming US interest rate hike (which was finally decided upon by the Federal Reserve in December 2015) and the economic slowdown of China.

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  • Indonesia's Palm Oil Exports to Fall on Biodiesel Program

    The Indonesian Palm Oil Board (DMSI) expects Indonesian crude palm oil (CPO) exports to drop 8.7 percent (y/y) to 21 million tons next year from an estimated 23 million tons in 2015. This decline in export is attributed to an increase in domestic CPO consumption amid the full implementation of the country's B15 biodiesel program. Domestic consumption of CPO is estimated to grow 37 percent (y/y) from 8.4 million tons in 2015 to 11.5 million tons in 2016. If the B20 biodiesel program will be implemented as well, then Indonesia's CPO exports may decline further.

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