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Latest Reports Commodity Prices
The crude palm oil (CPO) price continues to decline, falling more than 1 percent on Monday morning (24/07). The CPO futures contract (October 2017 delivery), the most active contract on the Bursa Malaysia, had shed 1.05 percent or 27 points to 2,546 ringgit per ton by 11:20 am local Jakarta time.
The price of gold remains above the level of USD $1,250 per troy ounce amid the negative sentiments that have depressed the US dollar as the market is in wait & see mode ahead of the Federal Reserve meeting on July 25-26, 2017.
Rubber prices fell sharply on Monday morning (24/07), in line with the strengthening Japanese yen. The price of rubber (December 2017 delivery, the most active contract on the Tokyo Commodity Exchange), had slid 2.33 percent to 209.50 yen per kilogram (kg) at 10:28 am local Jakarta time.
Rubber prices tumbled about 2 percent in early trading on Friday (21/07) after surging 4 percent in the previous trading session. The price of rubber for December 2017 delivery, the most active contract on the Tokyo Commodity Exchange (Tocom), tumbled 1.99 percent (or 4.30 points) to 211.90 yen per kilogram at 07:40 am local Jakarta time. Ahead of this tumble, there occurred a rubber price rally as most farmers held back their rubber stock sales following expectations of higher prices.
The Indonesian rupiah is appreciating against the US dollar on Monday (06/02). Based on the Bloomberg Dollar Index, the rupiah had appreciated 0.13 percent to IDR 13,325 per US dollar by 12:15 pm local Jakarta time. It is assumed that optimism about Indonesia's improving economic fundamentals in combination with rebounding commodity prices and slower-than-expected US economic growth supports the currency of Indonesia. Meanwhile, other Asian emerging market currencies are also appreciating against the greenback.
Indonesia's Statistics Agency (BPS) informed that both the nation's exports and imports rose for a third straight month (on a year-on-year basis) in December 2016. However, the growth pace slowed compared to the preceding month. Indonesia's exports climbed 15.6 percent (y/y) to USD $13.77 billion in the last month of 2016, slightly exceeding expectations and touching the highest export earnings of the past 24 months. Meanwhile, Indonesia's imports climbed 5.8 percent (y/y) to USD $12.78 billion in December 2016, also slightly surpassing expectations.
Moody's Investors Services, one of the big three credit global rating agencies, expects to see Indonesian companies posting steadily growing corporate earnings in 2017. This projection is supported by Indonesia's accelerating economic growth. After experiencing an economic slowdown in the years 2011-2015, the Indonesian economy is expected to grow 5.2 percent year-on-year (y/y) in 2017, improving from an estimated 5.0 percent (y/y) growth in 2016 and a 4.8 percent (y/y) growth realization in 2015.
Eight commodity prices have been rising steadily so far this year on higher global demand. This rebound is expected to continue into 2017 although it will require a long time to touch the levels that we saw in 2011. The World Bank noted in a report released on 4 October 2016 that the prices of eight commodities - coal, crude oil, crude palm oil, copper, iron ore, tin, nickel and gold - have been rebounding so far this year. Rising commodity prices will support economic growth of Indonesia as Southeast Asia's largest economy is one of the world's largest commodity exporters.
According to the latest data from Indonesia's Statistics Agency (BPS), wealth disparity has narrowed slightly in Indonesia, reflected by a declining Gini ratio from 0.408 in March 2015 to 0.397 in March 2016 (zero represents perfect equality, while 1 represents perfect inequality). This development is attributed to several matters, including rising earnings among Indonesia's middle-income segment. BPS noted that this increase comes on the back of government-led labor-intensive infrastructure development projects.
Again a big western mining company plans to exit Indonesia. US-based Newmont Mining Corp reportedly agreed to sell its 48.5 percent stake in copper and gold miner Newmont Nusa Tenggara (the operator of the Batu Hijau mine) for USD $1.3 billion (including contingent payment of up to USD $403 million). The stake is set to be sold to Amman Mineral Internasional. Newmont Chief Executive Gary Goldberg said the move is in line with the company's commitment to lower debt and fund its higher margin mining projects in order to create value for shareholders.
Latest Columns Commodity Prices
As stock markets continue to trade near precarious highs and an underlying current of geopolitical uncertainty continues to limit the outlook for equities in 2019, it is not entirely surprising to see going prices rallying. Indeed, this has been our price forecast for several weeks. But the confirmation of these forecasts came as the result of new evidence indicating weakness in US labor markets and rising expectations that the Federal Reserve will be forced to reduce interest rates more than previously anticipated.
Overall, market participants are satisfied with Indonesia's economic growth in the first quarter of 2017. Indonesia's Statistics Agency (BPS) released the nation's official first quarter gross domestic product (GDP) data on Friday (05/05). It showed a 5.01 percent year-on-year (y/y) growth pace in Q1-2017, in line with - and even above some institutions' - expectations. Moreover, the figure confirms that Indonesia's economic growth continues to accelerate. In the first quarters of 2015 and 2016 GDP growth was recorded at 4.71 percent (y/y) and 4.92 percent (y/y), respectively.
The central bank of Indonesia (Bank Indonesia) revised down its projection for Indonesia's economic growth in 2016 to the range of 5.0 - 5.4 percent (y/y), slightly below its previous forecast in the range of 5.2 - 5.6 percent (y/y). Bank Indonesia Governor Agus Martowardojo said the central bank decided to trim its projection for gross domestic product (GDP) growth this year due to sluggish global economic growth, low commodity prices, and Indonesia's slightly disappointing Q1-2016 GDP growth figure at 4.92 percent (y/y).
Tomorrow (05/02), Statistics Indonesia is scheduled to release Indonesia's official full-year 2015 economic growth figure. Nearly all analysts expect to see a figure that reflects the continuation of slowing economic growth. Southeast Asia's largest economy expanded 5.0 percent in 2014 and this is expected to have eased further to 4.7 percent or 4.8 percent in 2015 on the back of (interrelated) sluggish global growth, low commodity prices, and weak export performance. Domestically, Indonesia has or had to cope with high interest rates and inflation (hence curtailing people's purchasing power and consumption as well as business expansion).
Whereas the Indonesian Automotive Industry Association (Gaikindo), expects Indonesia's car sales to rise five percent (y/y) in 2016 on the back of improving economic conditions, US-based consulting firm Frost & Sullivan expects to see a 4.3 percent decline in the country's car sales this year as continued rupiah depreciation and persistently low commodity prices undermine Indonesians' purchasing power.
Indonesia's economic performance in the third quarter of 2015 was a bit disappointing as the 4.73 percent year-on-year (y/y) growth pace in Q3-2015 was slightly below market expectations at 4.8 percent (y/y). On a positive note, however, Indonesia's gross domestic product (GDP) growth accelerated from the six-year low of 4.67 percent (y/y) in the preceding quarter. A look at the table below shows that Indonesia's third quarter GDP growth rarely outpaces growth in the second quarter. This is a hopeful sign indeed.
Indonesian Finance Minister Chatib Basri said that the lower pace of economic growth in China, the world’s second-largest economy, is a major concern for Indonesia as it leads to declining demand for commodities (and thus places downward pressure on commodity prices). As Indonesia is a major commodity exporter - such as coal, crude palm oil, nickel ore and tin - the country feels the impact of weak global demand for commodities. About 60 percent of Indonesia’s exports are commodities, mostly raw ones.
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