Indonesian Finance Minister Chatib Basri expects that the higher electricity tariffs which may be introduced per 1 July 2014 (for 400-950 watt capacity) will have a relatively small impact on the pace of inflation in Southeast Asia’s largest economy. “If introduced, the higher electricity price may add 0.1 or 0.2 percentage point to inflation. The limited impact of this price hike on Indonesian inflation means that the government will not revise its inflation target for 2014 yet,” Basri said. The Indonesian government targets an inflation growth rate of 5.3 to 5.5 percent.

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Credit growth in Indonesia's banking sector slowed in January 2014 to a growth pace of 20.9 percent (year-on-year), down from 21.4 percent (yoy) in the previous month. Total disbursed credit in January 2014 stood at IDR 3,287 trillion (USD 285 billion). The slowing pace of credit disbursement in Southeast Asia's largest economy is in accordance with the central bank's target to reduce credit growth in the banking sector to between 15 and 17 percent (yoy), said Agus Martowardojo, Governor of Bank Indonesia.

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The DBS Bank expects that Indonesia's inflation rate will reach 8.2 percent (year-on-year) by the end of 2013, supported by a low monthly inflation rate in the last month of the year. The DBS Bank believes that the pace of inflation in December 2013 will be slightly higher than the country's November inflation (0.12 percent). In the period January to November 2013, inflation in Southeast Asia's largest economy has accumulated to 7.79 percent (yoy). The bank also stated that it expects inflation to reach 6.7 percent in full-year 2014.

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The central bank of Indonesia expects that Indonesia’s current account deficit will decline to below the three percent of gross domestic product (GDP) mark by the end of this year supported by sharply falling global oil prices and Indonesia’s recent subsidized fuel price hike. Hendar, Deputy Governor of the central bank, said that for every USD $1 decline in global oil prices, the country’s current account deficit narrows by about USD $170 million. Indonesia’s current account deficit fell to 3.1 percent of GDP in Q3-2014 (from 4.06 percent of GDP in Q2-2014).

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The Governor of Indonesia’s central bank, Agus Martowardojo, said that he expects inflation to accelerate to 6.1 percent year-on-year (y/y) in November 2014, significantly up from 4.83 percent y/y in the previous month. Accelerated inflation is caused by the multiplier effect triggered by the recent subsidized fuel price hike in Southeast Asia’s largest economy. On 18 November 2014, the government introduced higher prices for subsidized fuels in a bid to reallocate public spending from fuel consumption to structural development.

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Bank Indonesia Governor Agus Martowardojo expects the country’s July 2014 inflation pace to come in the range of 0.80 to 1.20 percent (month-to-month). This relatively high inflation figure is caused by seasonal factors: the holy fasting month of Ramadan and Idul Fitri celebrations. Ahead and during these festivities, consumers tend to spend more, thus resulting in higher prices in the context of these Islamic celebrations. A recent Bank Indonesia survey showed that inflation already reached 0.80 percent in the first week of July.

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