The government of Indonesia may succesfully curb the nation's housing backlog figure to 6.8 million units by 2019. Providing adequate housing for the poorer segments of Indonesian society is one of the key tasks of the Indonesian government (for example through its 'one million houses' [per year] program). In 2015 Indonesia's housing backlog declined by 16 percent (y/y) to 11.4 million units according to the data from Indonesia's Statistics Agency (BPS). With enough effort of the government and private sector the figure should continue to drop in the foreseeable future.

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Indonesia imports between 6.5 - 7.5 million tons of steel each year to meet domestic demand. Given that Indonesia's steel exports are insignificant it therefore implies that steel is one of the components that puts heavy pressure on the country's trade balance. The steel deficit of Indonesia is estimated to reach USD $7 billion this year. Indonesia requires some 12.5 million tons of steel per year for its construction projects. However, the domestic steel industry can only supply about 6 million tons of steel.

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The West section of Indonesia's Palapa Ring project is ready for construction according to the Indonesian Communication and Information Ministry. The majority of funds for the West Palapa Ring section - estimated to require IDR 1.28 trillion (approx. USD $97 million) in total - are ready to be disbursed. The Palapa Ring project, which consists of three sections (the West, Central and East sections), is one of Indonesia's priority infrastructure projects. It involves a huge undersea fiber-optic cable network that will offer faster broadband to the entire archipelago.

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Most Asian stocks slid on Monday (22/08) as there occurred renewed speculation about a Fed Funds Rate hike in September 2016 after hawkish statements from Federal Reserve officials, while crude oil prices fell nearly 2 percent in Asian trade after Iraq indicated that it seeks to boost exports, hence effectively snapping a seven-day winning streak. However, Indonesia's benchmark Jakarta Composite Index (IHSG) was up 0.21 percent to 5,427.17 points on the first trading day of the new week.

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