Below is a list with tagged columns and company profiles.

Latest Reports Export

  • Indonesia's Inflation 1.12% in August, Trade Deficit at Record High

    Indonesia's inflation rate in August 2013 was 1.12 percent (month to month) according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS). This result is rather positive as many analysts projected a higher outcome for August inflation. Last month (July), inflation accelerated by 3.29 percent as the impact of higher subsidized fuel prices was felt in combination with weak government policies regarding food quotas, Muslim celebrations (Ramadan and Idul Fitri) as well as the beginning of the news school year.

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  • Chatib Basri: GDP Growth Indonesia in 2014 Should Be Revised Down to 6%

    Finance minister Chatib Basri said that the Indonesian government should revise its outlook for GDP growth in 2014 from 6.4% (mentioned in the 2014 State Budget) to about 6.0%. A more realistic outlook, which is in line with the current global and domestic financial context, is needed. Global uncertainty due to the possible ending of the Federal Reserve's quantitative easing program has resulted in capital outflows from emerging markets, including Indonesia. Various countries, developed and emerging ones, have lowered outlooks for 2014 GDP growth.

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  • Ongoing Concerns: Trade Deficit of Indonesia May Continue in 2014

    The government of Indonesia is concerned that the trade deficit in the oil and gas sector that was posted in the first six months of 2013, will continue in the second half of the year and will also disturb the trade balance in 2014. Indonesia's oil and gas sector posted a deficit in Semester I-2013 of USD $5.82 billion, while the non-oil and gas sector posted an USD $2.51 billion surplus. Minister of Trade Gita Wirjawan believes that Indonesia's trade deficit may reach beyond USD $5 to $6 billion this year.

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  • Bank Indonesia Keeps Key BI Rate at 6.50% to Support Economic Growth

    Indonesia's central bank, Bank Indonesia, decided today (15/08) to keep its benchmark interest rate (BI rate) at 6.50 percent. In recent days, heavy speculation emerged about whether Bank Indonesia would raise the BI rate for the third consecutive time in three months as the country is plagued by higher inflation (8.61 percent year-on-year in July 2013) and a weakening rupiah. Reluctance to raise the interest rate again seems to indicate that the Bank gives priority to economic growth, which has slid to a three-year low at 5.81 percent in Q2-2013.

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  • Commodities in Indonesia's Mining and Agricultural Sectors still Weak

    That global demand for Indonesian commodities in both the mining and agriculture sectors is still far from recovered is reflected by several financial reports, covering financial results over the first half of 2013, that were published today (15/08). Three Indonesian companies engaged in Indonesia's mining and agriculture sectors posted significantly reduced net profits compared to the same period in 2012. These companies are Indo Tambangraya Megah, Salim Ivomas Pratama, and Perusahaan Perkebunan London Sumatra Indonesia.

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  • Bank Indonesia: Inflation is Expected to Stay Above 8% in 2013

    Although it was clear that Indonesia would see a high inflation rate in July 2013 as the impact of higher fuel prices would kick in, Indonesia's central bank (Bank Indonesia) was surprised to see the figure go up to 3.29 percent. Currently, Indonesia's annual inflation rate stands at 8.61 percent. Bank Indonesia's governor Agus Martowardojo said that this rate is far outside the central bank's target range and announced that the institution expects annual inflation to stay above 8%  throughout 2013, higher than its previous assumption of 7.8% at end-2013.

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  • Indonesia's Economic Growth Expected at 6.1% in Semester I-2013

    According to Finance minister Chatib Basri, the Indonesian government expects the country's gross domestic product (GDP) to have grown by 6.1 percent in the first six months of 2013. This forecast falls short of the government's 6.3 percent GDP growth assumption in the state budget (APBN). Basri stated that the lower outcome is due to global factors, such as slowing economic growth in China and India. But the government's assumption is more optimistic than the forecast of the central bank, which expects growth between 5.1 and 5.9 percent.

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  • Indonesia's Mining Sector Attracts most Investments despite Weak Export

    Indonesia's mining sector is still the biggest beneficiary of both domestic and foreign direct investments. Investments in Indonesia's mining sector rose 23.8 percent in the first six months of 2013 compared to the same period in 2012. This may be somewhat surprising as global economic turmoil in recent years has resulted in falling commodity prices and weak mining exports. Investments are the most important pillar of economic growth in Indonesia after the country's vibrant consumer industry.

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  • Morgan Stanley: Indonesia's Securities Vulnerable to Capital Outflows

    After the World Bank signaled slowing economic growth in Indonesia, American multinational financial services corporation Morgan Stanley also detects problems in Southeast Asia's largest economy. According to Jonathan Garner, chief Asia and emerging-market strategist for Morgan Stanley, Indonesia’s stock market is the most vulnerable stock market in Southeast Asia in terms of sudden capital outflows. Morgan Stanley downgraded Indonesia's equities to underweight from equal weight and labeled the country as "a relatively over-owned country".

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  • Economy of Indonesia Projected to Grow 6% in Quarter II 2013

    According to Bambang Brodjonegoro, current head of the Fiscal Agency (a department under the wings of Indonesia's Finance Ministry), Indonesia's economy will grow 6.0 percent in the second quarter of 2013. This growth rate is lower than originally forecast due to the impact of a global unstable environment. Economic growth in Q2-2013 is also likely to be below the Q1-2013 result of 6.02 percent. A few weeks ago, the government of Indonesia had already revised down its GDP forecast for 2013 from 6.8 percent to 6.3 percent.

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Latest Columns Export

  • Local Currency Settlement Framework Indonesia, Malaysia & Thailand

    Earlier this week, the central banks of Indonesia (Bank Indonesia), Malaysia (Bank Negara Malaysia), Thailand (Bank of Thailand) jointly announced the launch of the local currency settlement framework. This framework aims at boosting the use of local currencies in transactions (specifically related to trade and investment) conducted between Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand in an effort to reduce these countries' dependence on the US dollar.

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  • Trade Balance Indonesia: Widening Surplus in September 2017

    The trade surplus of Indonesia widened in September 2017 as export growth outpaced import growth. Indonesia's Statistics Agency (BPS) announced on Monday (16/10) that the nation's trade balance showed a USD $1.76 billion surplus in September, higher than analysts' forecasts and slightly higher than the USD $1.72 billion surplus in the preceding month.

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  • Working on a Bilateral Trade Agreement between Indonesia-USA

    The Indonesian government is currently studying the opportunities and challenges with regard to the making of a new bilateral trade deal with the USA. These efforts are a side-effect of US Vice President Mike Pence's recent visit to Indonesia when he signed 11 trade and investment deals worth a combined USD $10 billion.

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  • Can Indonesia Become the Mecca of Islamic Fashion?

    Ahead of the Islamic Ramadan and Idul Fitri celebrations, consumption tends to increase in Indonesia. One of the products that is searched for by Indonesian consumers (those who adhere to Islam) is Muslim fashion such as clothes and the veil. In fact, the Indonesian government wants the nation to become Asia's center for Muslim fashion by the year 2018 and the world's Muslim fashion leader by 2020. Muslim clothes are also envisaged to become a key export product. Currently, Indonesia's Muslim fashion exports are still rather insignificant.

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  • Update Indonesia's Q1-2016 Balance of Payments & Current Account

    Indonesia's balance of payments registered a deficit in the first quarter of 2016. Based on the latest data from Indonesia's central bank (Bank Indonesia), the deficit stood at USD $287 million in Q1-2016, down from a USD $1.3 billion surplus in the same quarter last year. The balance of payments deficit was the result of the nation's Q1-2016 capital and financial transaction surpluses (USD $4.17 billion) not being able to cover the current account deficit (CAD). Indonesia's Q1-2016 CAD shrank to USD $4.67 billion, or 2.14 percent of the nation's gross domestic product (GDP).

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  • HSBC: Indonesia's Economic Growth 5% in 2nd Quarter of 2016

    Although Indonesia's economic growth in the first quarter of 2016 was below analysts' estimates, most analysts agree that the nation's economic growth in the second quarter of the year could reach 5 percent (y/y), supported by domestic consumption and capital inflows. In Q1-2016 Indonesia's economic growth climbed at a pace of 4.92 percent (y/y) - accelerating from the 4.73 percent (y/y) GDP growth pace in the same quarter one year earlier - but significantly below estimates of most analysts. For example, Bank Indonesia expected GDP growth around 5.1 - 5.2 percent (y/y).

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  • CSIS: Indonesia Benefits when Joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership

    The Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) believes that the economy of Indonesia will benefit if the government decides to participate in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) because this free trade deal would make the Indonesian economy more efficient and makes Indonesian exports more competitive. However, Philip Vermonte, Executive Director of CSIS, said a comprehensive study on the matter is yet to be carried out. Others remain concerned about a possible huge rise in imports into Indonesia if Southeast Asia's largest economy would join the TPP deal.

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  • Flip-Flop in Indonesian Politics: Reviewing the Mineral Ore Export Ban

    The government of Indonesia is yet to find a middle way between encouraging the development of processing facilities for the country's mining output and the relaxation of mineral ore exports. Based on Law No. 4/2009 on Mineral and Coal Mining (New Mining Law), exports of mineral ore should have been fully banned in 2014. However, due to the lack of domestic smelting capacity a last-minute regulation was signed in early January 2014 by former Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono that softened this ban.

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  • Indonesia & Free Trade Agreements: Indonesia-EU CEPA, TPP & EFTA

    Indonesia is eager to enhance trade relations with Europe through the establishment of the Indonesia-European Union (EU) Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). Thomas Lembong, Indonesia's Trade Minister, said joining this free trade deal will modernize and improve Indonesia's existing trade regulations. Joining the Indonesia-EU CEPA is the current top priority of the Indonesian government in terms of free trade deals. It aims to have reached an agreement with the EU by late-2017. Afterwards, Indonesia will seek to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and it also showed interest to join the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).

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  • Rupiah Likely to Remain Under Pressure

    Broad market trends in the Indonesian rupiah have held relatively consistent over the last year, with a modest devaluation seen against the US dollar. We did see fluctuations in these trends during the summer months but many of these moves came as a result of external influences. One of the best examples here is the media turmoil that posted during this period with respect to a slowdown in the Chinese economy, and this has left many investors wondering whether the rupiah will be able to stand on its own merits and reverse some of its earlier weakness.

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