Below is a list with tagged columns and company profiles.
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Trade finance, a facility to finance export and import activities, remains attractive for the banking sector of Indonesia in 2018. In the first two months of 2018 trade finance surged 20 percent.
At least 11 listed companies on the Indonesia Stock Exchange announced that they are ready to payout dividends to shareholders in the upcoming March-April dividend season. However, the traditional dividend season also implies rising pressures on the rupiah exchange rate as a significant number of shareholders are foreign investors.
Many Asian stocks are in deep red territory dragged down by a 3.49 percent decline of Japan's Nikkei 225 index in the morning of Friday (23/03). The Nikkei 225 is responding to plunging stocks on Wall Street overnight where the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 2.9 percent, while both the S&P 500 index and Nasdaq Composite dropped 2.5 percent, each. All three benchmark US indexes suffered their biggest drops since 8 February 2018.
As was widely expected by markets, the Federal Reserve raised its key interest rate to the range of 1.50 - 1.75 percent, which is the highest level since 2008, at the March 2018 monthly policy meeting on Wednesday (21/03). The rate hike was already priced in as few expected a different decision, hence most Southeast Asian stock indexes are up on Thursday (22/03), including Indonesia's benchmark Jakarta Composite Index that rose 0.19 percent to 6,324.78 points in the first trading session.
Based on the Bloomberg Dollar Index the value of the Indonesian rupiah weakened 0.41 percent to IDR 13,816 per US dollar on Thursday (08/03), the currency's weakest position since January 2016, ahead of the release of US non-farm payrolls and US employment data due on Friday (09/03). These data are expected to be strong and therefore pave the way for another Fed Funds Rate hike in March 2018.
Indonesia's foreign exchange reserves fell from a record high of USD $131.98 billion at the end of January 2018 to USD $128.06 billion at the end of February 2018. In a statement released on its official website, the central bank of Indonesia (Bank Indonesia) attributed the decline in reserve assets is to the use of foreign exchange to repay government external debt as well as efforts to stabilize the Indonesian rupiah exchange rate.
Most Asian stocks are in the red zone on Wednesday (07/03) after it was reported that Gary Cohn is to resign as adviser to US President Donald Trump. Cohn, who is well-regarded in the business community and markets, opposes Trump's looming protectionist import tariffs (a 25 percent import tariff on steel and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum). Seeing Cohn lose the battle in the White House, markets have become more concerned about the possible outbreak of a global trade war.
The Indonesian rupiah has been under heavy pressure over the past month amid US dollar strength ahead of the March Federal Reserve policy meeting where market participants expect to see another interest rate hike. The rupiah weakened 2.92 percent from IDR 13,402 per US dollar on 1 February 2018 to IDR 13,793 on 1 March 2018. Not only the rupiah but basically currencies have been sliding against the US dollar that touched a six-week high earlier in the week.
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.
Indonesia's benchmark Composite Index touched a new record high on Monday (19/02) after surging 1.48 percent to finish at 6,689.29 points, particularly on the back of surging basic industry & chemicals and property shares. The performance of Indonesian stocks was in line with the overall performance of Asian stocks today. Japan's Nikkei 225 almost surged 2 percent. Benchmark indexes in Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam also rose more than 1 percent today.
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Indonesia’s HSBC Markit Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI) showed a reading of 51.1 in April 2014, significantly up from 50.1 in the previous month, meaning that manufacturing activity in Indonesia has grown (a reading above 50.0 indicates expansion, while a reading below 50.0 indicates contraction). In fact, amid improved economic conditions as well as strong demand, manufacturing activity in Southeast Asia’s largest economy expanded at the fastest pace in 11 months.
On the first trading day of the week (Monday 28 April 2014), the Indonesian rupiah exchange rate depreciated 0.19 percent to IDR 11,587 per US dollar based on the Bloomberg Dollar Index. Several factors - both internal and external - influenced the rupiah as well as Indonesian stocks in a negative way. The benchmark stock index of Indonesia (known as the Jakarta Composite Index or IHSG) declined a whopping 1.61 percent to 4,818.76 points, in line with the regional trend in Asia today.
The Indonesian rupiah exchange rate ended the week with a 0.32 percent gain to IDR 11,565 per US dollar on Friday (25/04) based on the Bloomberg Dollar Index. Despite still high local demand for US dollars ahead of the month-end (for reasons of profit repatriation, imports and debt repayments), the rupiah managed to appreciate as (foreign and domestic) investments in Indonesia were reported to have reached a new record at IDR 106.6 trillion (USD $9.4 billion) in the first quarter of 2014.
Due to a lack of positive domestic and external sentiments, the Indonesian rupiah exchange rate has depreciated to a six-week low against the US dollar. Based on the Bloomberg Dollar Index, Indonesia's currency declined 0.66 percent to IDR 11,521 per US dollar by 16:22 local Jakarta time. In fact, several negative domestic sentiments are the reason behind the current depreciation. Firstly, revived concerns about Indonesia's current account deficit and, secondly, concerns about capital outflows due to dividend payments.
The Indonesian rupiah exchange rate moved within limited range on Wednesday. Based on the Bloomberg Dollar Index, the currency depreciated 0.07 percent to IDR 11,436 per US dollar. Since Thursday (10/04), the rupiah has had to cope with pressures as Indonesia's legislative election was unable to provide political certainty. On the other hand, the country's improved economic fundamentals - easing inflation and the narrowing current account deficit - have resulted in capital inflows, thus supporting the rupiah.
On Monday (14/04), the Indonesian rupiah exchange rate depreciated 0.23 percent to IDR 11,440 per US dollar according to the Bloomberg Dollar Index. This performance was in line with most other emerging Asian currencies, which weakened against the US dollar due to broad strength in the greenback as well as risk aversion. The rupiah - still the best performing emerging Asian currency so far this year - depreciated on dollar demand from local importers (while state-run banks were reported to engage in rupiah buying).
ICRA Indonesia, an independent credit rating agency and subsidiary of ICRA Ltd. (associate of Moody's Investors Service), publishes a monthly newsletter which provides an update on the financial and economic developments in Indonesia of the last month. In the March 2014 edition, a number of important topics that are monitored include Indonesia's inflation rate, the trade balance, the BI rate, the IDR rupiah exchange rate, and gross domestic product (GDP) growth. Below is an excerpt of the newsletter:
The Indonesian rupiah exchange rate extends its depreciation on Friday (11/04) after market participants showed their concern about Indonesia's legislative election result on Wednesday (09/04). As the election did not result in a clear victory for the PDI-P (the main opposition party which intends to nominate popular Jakarta Governor Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo as presidential candidate), the fragmented outcome is expected to lead to continued political uncertainty ahead of Indonesia's presidential election on 9 July 2014.
Most emerging market currencies, including the Indonesian rupiah exchange rate, appreciated against the US dollar on Tuesday (08/04) due to carry trade (meaning the selling of low-yield currencies for higher-yielding assets) and expected stimulus from China's government to boost its economy (Chinese shares in fact gained 2.2 percent on this stimulus speculation). The rupiah appreciated 0.14 percent to IDR 11,289 per US dollar based on the Bloomberg Dollar Index, partly due to variety of domestic factors.
Indonesia's gross domestic product (GDP) growth is expected to move sideways in the first quarter of 2014. Finance Minister Chatib Basri forecasts a growth rate of between 5.7 and 5.8 percent, similar to the growth pace that was recorded in the fourth quarter of 2013 (5.78 percent). Based on data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), economic growth in Indonesia has slowed since the second quarter of 2013. In Q2-2013, Indonesia's GDP expanded by 5.89 percent, thereby ending a ten-quarter streak of +6 percentage growth.
