• Indonesian Motorcycle Producers Curb Production on Purchasing Power

    Similar to the automotive industry, Indonesia’s motorcycle industry also feels the effects of lower demand so far this year. Due to Indonesia’s slowing economic growth in combination with the high domestic interest rate and depreciating rupiah, Indonesians’ purchasing power has weakened and thus Indonesian consumers have become more careful before purchasing motorcycles and cars. As a result stocks of motorcycles at local dealers have been rising and one way to have a healthier supply-demand ratio is by limiting motorcycle production.

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  • Garuda Indonesia May Cancel Direct Flights between Jakarta & Amsterdam

    State-controlled national airline Garuda Indonesia may need to stop direct flights between Jakarta and Amsterdam (The Netherlands) because the runway of Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport does not meet required safety standards. Airport operator Angkasa Pura II recently decreased the airport’s pavement classification number (PCN) as the surface of the runway is not strong enough to accommodate wide-body Boeings that take off while being fully loaded with passengers and fuel.

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  • Inflation in Indonesia Slowly Rising Ahead of Ramadan Month

    One month ahead of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, food prices in Indonesia have already began to rise. It is a traditional phenomenon that ahead of the Ramadan (and during this month as well as the subsequent Idul Fitri celebrations) inflation peaks as Indonesians spend more money on food products (for dinner parties in the evening after the daily fasting has ended) and other consumer products such as clothes and shoes. However, some concerns have arisen as a presidential regulation on price controls is yet to come out.

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  • Indonesian Rupiah Starts Weaker as US Dollar Rises after Inflation Data

    The Indonesian rupiah started the new trading week on a negative note. By 10:45 am local Jakarta time, the rupiah had depreciated 0.17 percent to IDR 13,181 per US dollar according to the Bloomberg Dollar Index. The primary reason for this performance is that the US dollar has strengthened globally after Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen stated that she is convinced that the world will see the first US interest rate hike in almost a decade before the end of the year (provided that US economic data continue to improve).

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