In early September 2019 the World Bank released a report titled Global Economic Risks and Implications for Indonesia that paints a somewhat negative picture of Indonesia’s economic growth in the foreseeable future. The Washington-based institution noted that it expects Indonesia’s economic expansion to continue slowing up to (at least) 2022; from a realized growth pace of 5.2 percent year-on-year (y/y) in 2018 to 4.6 percent (y/y) in 2022.

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Stakeholders in Indonesia’s cigarette manufacturing industry were not amused when the Indonesian government announced its plans to raise minimum prices of cigarettes and to increase the excise tax on tobacco products per 1 January 2020. Reportedly, the central government plans to raise the excise tax on tobacco products by an average of 23 percent, which will then raise the minimum price of cigarettes across categories by an average of 35 percent.

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On 11 September 2019, Bacharuddin Jusuf (B.J.) Habibie passed away at the respectable age of 83 at the Gatot Subroto Army Hospital in Central Jakarta. By the end of his life B.J. Habibie had become a true statesman, respected across Indonesia, and therefore the central government immediately declared three days of national mourning shortly after his passing. This means that the Indonesian flag (merah-putih) is positioned at half-mast during the three days following his death (12-15 September 2019).

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Indonesia’s trade balance swung back into a deficit in July 2019 as the country’s exports could not compensate for its imports. However, at USD $63 million, the monthly deficit is not too big (compared to the USD $2.3 billion and USD $1.1 billion deficits that were recorded in April and January, respectively).

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