• S&P Awaiting Results from Indonesia’s Economic Policy Reforms

    Global credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s remains the only credit rating agency among the big three to maintain its BB+/stable rating on Indonesia’s sovereign credit (which is one notch below investment grade). Both Fitch Ratings (BBB-/stable) and Moody’s Investor Service (Baa3/stable) had already brought Indonesia back to investment grade in 2011 and 2012. Standard & Poor’s has been reluctant to raise Indonesia’s status as it wants to see more results from the country’s economic policy reforms.

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  • Indonesia’s New CPO Export Levy also to Be Imposed on Coffee & Rubber?

    After having decided to introduce export levies for palm oil, the Indonesian government is considering to impose similar measures on rubber, coffee and other commodities in a move to generate capital to invest in the country’s agriculture industry. Per April 2015, a USD $50 (per metric ton) export levy is imposed on crude palm oil (CPO) shipments, and a USD $30 (per metric ton) export levy on processed palm oil export products. Proceeds from these CPO levies will be allocated to finance the government’s biodiesel program.

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  • Rupiah Update: Weak US Jobs Data Supports Indonesian Assets

    Indonesian stocks and the rupiah are performing well on Monday’s trading day (06/04) after weak US economic data suggests that the US central bank (Federal Reserve) will still refrain from raising its key interest rate too soon. Weaker-than-expected US jobs data caused that most Southeast Asian stock markets strengthened today. Moreover, the rupiah also felt the positive impact. According to the Bloomberg Dollar Index, the rupiah had appreciated 0.54 percent to IDR 12,950 per US dollar by 15:17 pm local Jakarta time.

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  • Update Industri Minyak Sawit di Malaysia dan Indonesia

    Pengapalan minyak sawit mentah (crude palm oil/CPO) dari Malaysia naik 18% pada basis month-to-month (m/m) pada bulan Maret karena perusahaan-perusahaan segera mengekspor CPO sebelum penerapan (kembali) pajak ekspor 4,5% di bulan April. Pajak ekspor ini telah dihapus sejak September 2014 dalam usaha untuk mendongkrak permintaan dan harga CPO. Diprediksi bahwa produksi rata-rata CPO di Malaysia naik 18% (m/m) menjadi 1,32 juta ton di bulan Maret, yang juga berarti bahwa produksi minyak sawit di Malaysia meningkat untuk pertama kalinya di dalam 7 bulan.

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