As expected, the pace of inflation in Indonesia eased in August 2014. On Monday (01/09), Statistics Indonesia announced that August inflation reached 0.47 percent, implying that on a year-on-year basis inflation eased to 3.99 percent from 4.53 percent in the previous month. Meanwhile, Indonesia posted a USD $124 million trade surplus in July 2014 mainly due to declining imports of machinery and mechanical instruments. The country’s manufacturing activity, however, contracted in August for the first time in a year.

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On 31 August 2014, Indonesia Investments released the latest edition of its newsletter. This free newsletter, which is sent to our subscribers once per week, contains the most important news stories from Indonesia that have been reported on our website in the last seven days. Most of the topics involve economic topics such Indonesia’s fuel subsidies, an August inflation forecast, the conflict between the government and Nusa Tenggara Newmont, a new geothermal energy bill, infrastructure development, and more.

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The latest Bank Indonesia survey on the topic of inflation suggests that Indonesia’s inflation pace in August 2014 is still relatively safe. Based on the survey, which monitored inflation in Southeast Asia’s largest economy up to the third week of the month and which usually forms a good indicator for the inflation figure at the month-end, Indonesian inflation in August will be lower than the 0.93 percentage point (month-to-month) of inflation recorded in the previous month. Inflation in Indonesia always shows a peak around in the period June to August.

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The central bank of Indonesia (Bank Indonesia) indicated that it will only loosen its monetary policy provided that the country’s current account deficit narrows to a level of 2.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), which is considered sustainable, and inflation is kept within the range of 3.5 to 5.5 percent (year-on-year) in line with the central bank’s target range. The current account deficit is one of the main problems being faced by Southeast Asia’s largest economy today and causes concern among foreign and domestic investors.

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The central bank of Indonesia (Bank Indonesia, BI) is expected to keep its benchmark interest rate (BI rate) at 7.50 percent at Thursday’s Board of Governors’ Meeting (14/08) as inflation has eased to 4.53 percent (year on year) in July while the country’s current account deficit may nearly double in the second quarter of 2014 to four percent of gross domestic product (GDP) from 2.06 percent of GDP in the previous quarter. Most analysts expect that Bank Indonesia will maintain the current BI rate for the remainder of 2014.

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On Monday (04/08), Statistics Indonesia (BPS) announced that the July 2014 inflation figure was 0.93 percent (month-on-month), considerably higher than the 0.43 percent of inflation in the previous month but significantly lower than the 3.29 percent inflation recorded in July last year (when inflation accelerated sharply due to higher subsidized fuel prices implemented by the government in June 2013). Head of BPS Suryamin stated that food prices contributed most to the July inflation pace, followed by instant food, drinks, cigarettes and tobacco.

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The pace of Indonesian inflation in July 2014 is expected to be in the range of 0.60 to 0.75 percent (month-on-month). If realized, this would be one of the lowest July inflation figures in recent Indonesian history. Traditionally, the month of July brings high inflationary pressures as consumers spend more on food products and other consumer goods as well as transportation amid the holy fasting month of Ramadan and subsequent Idul Fitri celebrations (which also involves the mudik tradition).

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Deputy Governor of Indonesia’s central bank (Bank Indonesia), Mirza Adityaswara, expects that inflation in July 2014 will reach between 0.8 and 0.9 percent (month-to-month). If realized, this would be relatively mild inflation amid a month that is traditionally characterized by high inflationary pressures due to the impact of the holy Muslim fasting period (Ramadan) and Idul Fitri celebrations. In this period Indonesian consumers always increase purchases of food and other consumer products such as clothes and shoes.

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Five emerging markets, India, Brazil, Turkey, South Africa and Indonesia, have become known to the world in 2013 as the ‘Fragile Five’, a term coined by analysts at Morgan Stanley. This term refers to those five emerging economies that were considered most vulnerable to the winding down of the US Federal Reserve’s quantitative easing program (bond-buying program) as capital inflows dried up, or, in fact reversed. The five countries were assessed as risky due to their twin fiscal and current-account deficits, slowing economic growth and high inflation.

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Bank Indonesia Governor Agus Martowardojo expects that inflation in July 2014 will be under control. However, there are several factors that trigger inflationary pressures. These include the holy Islamic fasting month Ramadan and subsequent Idul Fitri celebrations at the month-end, as well as higher electricity tariffs and the start of the new school season (inflation in July is traditionally higher than in other months due to seasonal factors). Martowardojo still believes that the year-end inflation target 3.5 to 5.5 percent can be achieved.

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In the second half of September 2022 the Indonesian rupiah experienced some steep depreciating pressures, nearly touching IDR 15,300 per US dollar. It prompted Bank Indonesia to step and intervene in markets to limit the currency’s decline; a step that typically leads to a drop in the country’s foreign exchange reserves.

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Indonesia’s central bank (Bank Indonesia) – finally – decided to raise its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 3.75 percent after concluding its two-day policy meeting on 23 August 2022, thereby joining the global wave of rate hikes as central banks need to combat accelerated inflation, while –especially in emerging markets – higher rates also function to prevent too much capital outflows as US assets become more attractive amid aggressive US Federal Reserve tightening.

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What came as a surprise to us is that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) decided to raise its projection for Indonesia’s economic growth in full 2022 from 5.0 percent year-on-year (y/y) to 5.2 percent (y/y) in July 2022. This decision was substantiated in its Asian Development Outlook 2022 Supplement entitled Recovery Faces Diverse Challenges.

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We were surprised to learn that Indonesia’s central bank (Bank Indonesia) decided to leave its interest rates unchanged at the two-day monetary policy meeting on 23-24 May 2022. The benchmark BI 7-Day Reverse Repo Rate was kept at 3.50 percent, while the deposit facility and lending facility rates were maintained at 2.75 percent and 4.25 percent, respectively. We had expected Bank Indonesia to raise its key rate by 0.25 percent to 3.75 percent at this occasion.

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With the Ramadan month just having started, it is important to take a look at food prices in Indonesia. The Ramadan-Idul Fitri period is typically a period when prices rise amid a significant increase in demand.

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It came as a big surprise to us when the central bank of Indonesia (Bank Indonesia) announced on 19 November 2020 (the day it concluded its two-day monetary policy meeting) that it decided to cut its benchmark interest rate (the seven-day reverse repo rate) by 25 basis points to 3.75 percent. Bank Indonesia also cut its deposit facility and lending facility rates by 25 basis points to 3.00 percent and 4.50 percent, respectively.

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The central bank of Indonesia (Bank Indonesia) decided to cut its benchmark interest rate ("BI seven-day reverse repo rate") by 25 basis points (bps) to 4.75 percent at the two-day policy meeting on 19 and 20 February 2020.

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On Monday 1 July 2019 Statistics Indonesia (BPS) released Indonesia’s latest inflation data. The data show that headline inflation in Southeast Asia’s largest economy eased to a level of 0.55 percent month-on-month (m/m) in June 2019, down from 0.68 percent (m/m) in May 2019 when price pressures peaked due to Ramadan and Lebaran celebrations. This period always gives rise to a significant boost in consumption, hence prices of foodstuffs peak. Meanwhile, people also tend to buy new clothes, bags and shoes because they want to look good at these celebrations.

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There is concern that the Indonesian government's plan to curb price increases of (non-subsidized) fuels in Indonesia will impact negatively on private investors' enthusiasm to invest in Indonesia's oil and gas industry. Earlier this week Arcandra Tahar, Deputy Minister at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, informed that the government wants to regulate prices of fuels in order to keep inflation in check.

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The number of people who live in poverty in Indonesia fell by 1.19 million individuals, per September 2017, to 26.58 million, from 27.77 million poor people in March 2017 (Indonesia's Statistics Agency releases poverty data twice per year, covering the situation in the months March and September). This is a significant decline and therefore constitutes a very good development. In relative terms, Indonesia's poverty rate fell 0.52 percent from 10.64 percent to 10.12 percent (over the same period).

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