Below is a list with tagged columns and company profiles.
Latest Reports COVID-19
In January 2022 the International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced it, again, revised its outlook for Indonesia’s economic growth. The Washington-based institution cut its forecast for growth in 2022 from 5.9 percent year-on-year (y/y) to 5.6 percent (y/y).
On 17 January 2022 Statistics Indonesia (BPS) released the latest trade data of Indonesia. The data show that Indonesian exports remained high (near record-high territory) in December 2021, while imports into Indonesia even managed to set a new all-time record (with a huge jump in imports of raw materials and consumer goods suggesting that economic activity is strong, although this could be a temporary phenomenon in the context of Christmas and New Year festivities).
When – at the start of January 2022 – we heard Firman Bakri, Executive Director of the Indonesian Footwear Association (Asosiasi Persepatuan Indonesia, Aprisindo), say that Indonesia’s footwear exports are expected to hit an all-time high in full-year 2021, it caught us by surprise.
It is time to turn our attention to tax, again, as we detected a number of interesting developments in Indonesia (related to tax) over the past couple of months. First of all, something that is quite rare, Indonesia managed to collect more tax revenue in full-year 2021 than it targeted in the 2021 State Budget (APBN 2021).
The tourism industry is among the most heavily disrupted industries in the COVID-19 crisis as restrictions made it difficult (sometimes even impossible) to travel while various tourist destinations had to close temporarily. Moreover, we assume that the psychological impact of the crisis on people is bigger than estimated (implying that people become less willing to travel to distant locations, in particular to emerging economies where healthcare is generally not at world-class standards).
On Thursday (06.01.2022) Indonesia Investments released the December 2021 edition of its monthly report. This report discusses a range of subjects - related to political developments, the economy and social matters - that were important and influential issues in Indonesia in the month of December 2021.
On 31 October 2021, Indonesian President Joko Widodo was handed a hammer by Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi. And it was a hammer and transaction with great symbolic value because it symbolized the transfer of the Group of Twenty (or G20) presidency from Italy to Indonesia.
Those who follow Indonesian politics and/or the Indonesian economy should know that November is the month in which new minimum wages are determined for the following year. It involves the minimum wages for the provinces (propinsi), districts (kabupaten), and cities (kota).
Over the past decade or so many analysts – including us – have pointed out that the structural deficit in Indonesia’s current account balance is a serious weakness.
Indonesia’s October 2021 export performance was impressive. Based on the latest data from Statistics Indonesia (Badan Pusat Statistik, BPS), Indonesia exported USD $22.03 billion worth of goods in October 2021, thereby setting a new all-time record high.
Latest Columns COVID-19
Indonesia’s benchmark stock index (Jakarta Composite Index, or IHSG) grew 10.08 percent in full-year 2021, a good performance after a volatile and highly uncertain 2020 when the COVID-19 crisis emerged. At around 6,580 points on the first trading day of 2022, the index remains at near-record high territory (with the record being set recently, in mid-November 2021, at around 6,750 points).
In felt like a real déjà vu. Shortly before writing this introduction, the World Health Organization (WHO) said it added a new variant of concern to its list of COVID-19 mutations. This new variant, which is called Omicron (B.1.1.529), is believed to stem from South Africa or Botswana, and might be more contagious than the Delta variant that has been dominant over the past 12 months or so.
When writing this introduction, the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (also known as COP26) had just started in Glasgow (Scotland). Indonesian President Joko Widodo is among the delegates who is slated to speech about the importance of preventing – and adapting to – climate change, and to seek ways to obtain climate financing as Indonesia is unable to finance the huge and costly energy transition by itself.
The COVID-19 crisis in Indonesia continues to show an easing trend reflected in the declining number of new positive COVID-19 test results across the Archipelago in September 2021 (a trend that started in mid-July 2021 when the tsunami-shaped wave of new COVID-19 cases peaked).
The economic rebound in the second quarter of 2021 – with a +7.07 percent year-on-year (y/y) growth pace – was great for Indonesia, albeit it is obviously related to the ‘low base effect’ (as Indonesia had hit its rock bottom in the same quarter one year earlier). But what about the future, or more precisely: Q3-2021?
Another interesting month – August 2021 – has passed. Several new findings were released around the world that further improve our understanding of the COVID-19 virus and vaccines, although many pieces of the puzzle(s) remain missing.
August is always a cause for celebrations in Indonesia as the country commemorates its independence from the colonial Dutch regime every 17 August. This year, it was the 76th year Indonesians celebrated their Independence Day. Obviously, Indonesia Investments sends the warmest wishes for the country's continued prosperity and success to all Indonesians!
As we have discussed in earlier reports and articles, the tourism industry is among the heaviest affected industries amid the COVID-19 crisis. Travel restrictions (such as mandatory COVID-19 tests and vaccines) and in some cases full travel bans set by governments across the world are discouraging people from traveling.
It feels as if the world is, again, at a turning point. While there is a wide range of data that indicate improving economic conditions (both in Indonesia and the world as a whole), there also emerged room for concern.
Governments’ social and business restrictions (imposed in the context of preventing the further spread of COVID-19 in society) and people’s concern over the virus have damaged both the tourism and transportation industry in an unprecedented way.
