Finance minister Chatib Basri said that the Indonesian government should revise its outlook for GDP growth in 2014 from 6.4% (mentioned in the 2014 State Budget) to about 6.0%. A more realistic outlook, which is in line with the current global and domestic financial context, is needed. Global uncertainty due to the possible ending of the Federal Reserve's quantitative easing program has resulted in capital outflows from emerging markets, including Indonesia. Various countries, developed and emerging ones, have lowered outlooks for 2014 GDP growth.

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According to Finance minister Chatib Basri, the Indonesian government expects the country's gross domestic product (GDP) to have grown by 6.1 percent in the first six months of 2013. This forecast falls short of the government's 6.3 percent GDP growth assumption in the state budget (APBN). Basri stated that the lower outcome is due to global factors, such as slowing economic growth in China and India. But the government's assumption is more optimistic than the forecast of the central bank, which expects growth between 5.1 and 5.9 percent.

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Indonesia's minister of Economy, Ir. M. Hatta Rajasa, stated that the government of Indonesia intends to realize economic growth of at least 6.2 percent in the second quarter of 2013 in order to remain on track for 6.3 percent growth for full year 2013. Although he reminded that it will take hard effort to realize this target, his message contained more optimism than Finance minister Chatib Basri's statement earlier this week who sees 6.0 percent of economic growth as the limit in Q2-2013.

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Today, former head of the Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), Chatib Basri, will be installed as Indonesia's Finance minister after former Finance minister Agus Martowardojo resigned to become Governor at Indonesia's central bank (Bank Indonesia) for the period 2013 to 2018. Basri, who underwent a fit-and-proper test at the State Palace yesterday, has limited time to exercise his influence as a policy maker as President Yudhoyono's United Indonesia Cabinet II will end its term in mid-2014.

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Analysts expect that Indonesia's central bank (Bank Indonesia) will maintain its benchmark interest rate at 5.75 percent in tomorrow's meeting (14/05/13). This rate, a historic low rate for Indonesia, has been in force since February 2012. The central bank's deposit facility (Fasbi) is also expected to be kept at 4 percent. The position of Governor of Bank Indonesia - currently held by Darmin Nasution - will be taken over at the end of this month by Agus Martowardojo.

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Various reasons explain why Indonesia's main stock index (IHSG) managed to reach another record high on Monday (20/05/13) at 5,214.98 points, an 1.35 percent gain. Foreigners were back chasing Indonesian stocks (particularly blue chips), Asian indices were up (led by Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index), the listing of Bank Nationalnobu (NOBU) which gained 14.67 percent on its first trading day, positive European openings, and the positive response towards Indonesia's new Finance minister, Chatib Basri, regarded as an independent policy maker.

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In Quarter I 2013 (January-March), total investment in Indonesia increased 30.6 percent to IDR 93.0 trillion (US $9.58 billion) compared to the same period in 2012 according to data from the Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board (Badan Koordinasi Penanaman Modal, abbreviated BKPM), a government institution. Of this total amount, about seventy percent is accounted for by foreign direct investment, while the remaining thirty percent constitutes domestic direct investment.

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