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.
Although Indonesia’s healthcare industry has grown in terms of size and access in recent years, concern persists about the quality and capacity of Indonesia’s healthcare industry. Hence, those Indonesians who have enough money at their disposal (or expats residing in Indonesia) often prefer to travel to a hospital in Singapore or Malaysia when they need a medical checkup or treatment.
On Thursday (08/04/2020) Indonesia Investments released the March 2020 edition of its monthly update. In this edition, titled 'Coronavirus Panic Peaks Worldwide', we obviously focus on the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak on the Indonesian economy and Indonesian society.
Although Indonesia still has a relatively low number of confirmed novel coronavirus cases (COVID-19), namely 790 per Wednesday 25 March 2020, it is assumed that this number will rise rapidly in the weeks, perhaps months, to come. Some expats have decided to leave Indonesia and head back to their home country, while others have remained in Indonesia. Those expats who remain here, what can they do to limit risks of becoming infected with COVID-19?
While nearly all stock markets in Asia are in positive territory, Indonesia's benchmark Jakarta Composite Index has remained in deep red territory on Friday (20.03.2020). And while the US dollar halted its eight-day rally, the Indonesian rupiah exchange rate continued to weaken beyond the (psychologically sensitive) IDR 16,000 per US dollar threshold (after Bank Indonesia cut its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 4.50 percent one day earlier). Market participants seemingly show an alarming loss of confidence in Indonesian assets.
