Research institution Supply Chain Indonesia, which mainly focuses on logistics matters, requests the government to reevaluate its plan to use three ports in Banten (West Java) to take over some of the workload of Jakarta's Tanjung Priok port, Indonesia's largest seaport. Due to inefficiencies at Tanjung Priok, which handles about two-thirds of Indonesia's total international trade, dwelling time at this seaport is high and this gives rise to port congestion and high logistics costs. The government therefore wants three ports in Banten to support Tanjung Priok's trade activities.

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Indonesia's current account deficit is expected to rise to USD $26 billion, or 2.6 percent of the nation's gross domestic product (GDP), in 2016. This increase is expected because rising investment and infrastructure development in Indonesia will require more imports from abroad. In 2015 Indonesia's current account deficit was recorded at USD $17.8 billion (2.06 percent of GDP), improving from a USD $27.5 billion deficit (3.09 percent of GDP) in the preceding year (when Indonesia touched a record high current account deficit, and which seriously undermined investors' confidence in the nation's assets).

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Indonesia's trade surplus was better than expected in February 2016. Today, Indonesia's Statistics agency (BPS) announced that the nation's trade surplus was recorded at USD $1.14 billion in the second month of the year, considerably higher compared to the revised USD $10 million surplus Indonesia recorded in the preceding month. Suryamin, Chairman of BPS, said this surplus was the biggest February surplus in the last five years. Another positive sign is that - although continuing to decline in February - the contraction of Indonesia's exports in February occurred at the slowest rate since October 2014.

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By September 2016 the Indonesian government plans to have revised regulations regarding exports of mineral ore, part of Law No. 4/2009 on Mineral and Coal Mining (New Mining Law). Per January 2014 mineral ore exports from Indonesia should have been banned altogether as the government aims to boost domestic smelter development and reduce the country's dependence on raw material exports. However, a last-minute regulation, signed in January 2014, softened this ban and allowed exports of copper, manganese, zinc, lead, and iron ore concentrates until 2017. Now the government may decide for a two-year delay up to 2019.

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Indonesia's commodity-rich East Kalimantan is one of the worst affected Indonesian provinces in terms of global trade and weak commodity prices. East Kalimantan's export performance is heavily dependent on prices of oil, natural gas and coal. In 2015 the total value of East Kalimantan's exports plunged 30.4 percent year-on-year (y/y) to USD $18.3 billion from USD $26.35 billion in the preceding year. Since 2011 the province's exports have posted a consecutive annual decline in line with the declining trend of commodity prices.

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Statistics Indonesia (BPS) announced on Monday (15/02) that Indonesia's trade balance turned back into a (small) surplus in January 2016. In the first month of the year, Indonesia posted a trade surplus of USD $50.6 million, beating analyst forecasts. In the preceding two months the country had to cope with a trade deficit. After the news, Indonesia's currency appreciated markedly against the US dollar. However, on a year-on-year (y/y) basis Indonesia's exports and imports are still significantly down and there remains much cause for concern.

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The central bank of Indonesia (Bank Indonesia) announced on Friday (12/02) that Indonesia's current account deficit widened to 2.39 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), or USD $5.1 billion, in the fourth quarter of 2015 from a deficit of 1.94 percent of GDP (USD $4.2 billion) in the preceding quarter. This increase was due to a decline in the non-oil & gas trade balance surplus as non-oil & gas imports grew 7.5 percent (q/q) amid higher domestic demand amid accelerating economic growth in the last quarter of 2015.

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The Indonesian rupiah has been under pressure so far today (03/02) on concern that falling oil prices drag down other commodity prices, hence negatively affecting Indonesia's export performance. Yesterday, a global selloff in stocks occurred as oil prices were again touching the USD $30 per barrel mark. Emerging market currencies too are under pressure. The Indonesian rupiah had depreciated 0.79 percent to IDR 13,799 per US dollar (Bloomberg Dollar Index) by 12:55 pm local Jakarta time.

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Indonesia posted a trade deficit of USD $230 million in December 2015 as imports (USD $12.12 billion) exceeded exports (USD $11.89 billion), the second monthly trade deficit in 2015. Overall, the country's trade balance shows a surplus of USD $7.51 billion in 2015, significantly improving from the USD $2.2 billion trade deficit in the preceding year. But despite posting a good trade surplus in full-year 2015, a closer look at the data still reveals weak global and domestic conditions.

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Although not final yet, the United States plans to impose anti-dumping duties on imports of uncoated paper sheets from Indonesia. On Monday (11/01) the US Commerce Department said it plans to introduce anti-import duties in the range of 2.05 percent to 222.46 percent for uncoated paper sheet imports from Indonesia, Australia, China, Portugal and Brazil. On 22 February 2016 the final decision is expected to be announced by the US Commerce Department.

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Indonesia’s economic growth in the second quarter of 2024 (Q2-2024) was good, although slightly below our projection of 5.1 percent year-on-year (y/y). According to the latest gross domestic product (GDP) data, which were released by Indonesia’s Statistical Agency (in Indonesian: Badan Pusat Statistik, BPS) on 5 August 2024, the Indonesian economy expanded by 5.05 percent (y/y) in Q2-2024.

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On 5 May 2023, Indonesia’s Statistical Agency (Badan Pusat Statistik, BPS) released the latest official Gross Domestic Product (GDP) data of Indonesia. BPS announced that the Indonesian economy expanded by 5.03 percent year-on-year (y/y) in Q1-2023, a good result that is in line with our expectations.

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Last month we warned that Indonesia’s trade performance could easily continue to contract in February 2023, thereby continuing the trend we have seen since August 2022. Moreover, February is a short month, and therefore it typically has trouble to compete with other months in terms of trade activity.

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Over the past couple of months we have informed on the shortage of cooking oil on the Indonesian market, the subsequent inflationary pressures this shortage caused, and the policies that were imposed by the government to tackle this shortage. But, we did not devote an entire article to this topic.

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Both Indonesia’s export and import performance was quite amazing in March 2022. While we expected imports to rebound ahead of the start of the Ramadan month (on 1 April 2022), a month that typically gives rise to a big increase in consumption, we did underestimate Indonesia’s export performance in last month’s forecast.

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On 7 February 2022, Indonesia’s Statistical Agency (Badan Pusat Statistik, or BPS) announced the latest gross domestic product (GDP) data of Indonesia, covering the final quarter of 2021.

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In January 2022 Indonesian Minister for Coordinating Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said the Indonesian government aims to ratify the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade agreement in the first quarter of 2022. Just like the Philippines and Myanmar, Indonesia is still to ratify the RCEP even though this agreement already took effect per 1 January 2022.

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According to the latest data from Statistics Indonesia (Badan Pusat Statistik, or BPS), Indonesia posted a USD $4.37 billion trade surplus in September 2021. It is a slightly lower surplus compared to the previous month (when Indonesia posted its highest ever monthly trade surplus), but remains one of the highest surpluses in the history of Indonesia.

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Indonesia recorded another big trade surplus in July 2020. Based on the latest data from Indonesia’s Statistical Agency (BPS), the country's trade surplus reached USD $3.26 billion in July 2020, a huge improvement from the USD $280.1 million deficit it recorded in the same month one year earlier.

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For the second consecutive month Indonesia recorded a big trade surplus. According to the latest data from Indonesia’s Statistical Agency (BPS), the country posted a USD $1.27 billion trade surplus in June 2020.

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