Prices of coffee have surged 24 percent in 2014 as Brazil experienced the warmest January ever and the least rainfall in 20 years. Being a major arabica bean producer, Brazil's weather conditions particularly influence the arabica coffee price. The arabica coffee price has jumped 26 percent in seven trading sessions, the highest level since July 2000. Meanwhile, weather forecasts do not seem to indicate the arrival of a sufficient amount of rainfall in the remainder of February and March before the dry season kicks in in April.

Read more ›

Indonesia Investments updated the profile of coffee in our commodities section. Indonesia is one of the world's top coffee producing and exporting countries and thus this beverage is an important foreign exchange earner. Starting from the 1960s, Indonesia has shown a small but stable increase in domestic production of coffee. Apart from the production of regular coffee, Indonesia is famous for certain types of specialty coffee, including  luwak coffee (kopi luwak), Toraja coffee, Aceh coffee and Mandailing coffee.

Read more ›

The G-20 summit in St Petersburg (Russia), which is held on Thursday (05/09) and Friday (06/09), is not expected to result in unanimous support for a military action against Syria as China and Russia are opposing strongly to such an action. Indonesia's president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono stated that Indonesia takes the middle road regarding the Syria-case. Apart from Syria, other topics that are discussed include the possible ending to the Federal Reserve's quantitative easing program, global economic growth and financial stability.

Read more ›

On Wednesday (04/09), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released a report that describes a change in the current global economic dynamic as developed economies are showing signs of recovery, while growth in emerging markets is slowing down. These two developments are interrelated because stagnating developed economies from the late 2000s meant that investors started to look for lucrative assets in rapidly-growing emerging markets, including Indonesia.

Read more ›

The government of Indonesia will lower the export duties on crude palm oil (CPO) from 10.5 percent in August to 9 percent in September if the CPO price continues to stay between USD $800-850 per ton. This lower tax policy is done in order to stimulate export revenues amid persistent weak global commodity prices. The international palm oil market is expected to remain stagnant in August and September. Stockpiles of CPO in Malaysia and Indonesia are projected to rise between September and December 2013.

Read more ›

Indonesian central government debt increased IDR 15.8 trillion (USD $1.6 billion) in the first quarter of 2013 to a total current debt of IDR 1,991.22 trillion (USD $205.3 billion). This total debt consists of loans amounting to IDR 590.2 trillion (USD $60.8 billion) and government securities (Surat Berharga Negara, or SBN) totaling 1,401.1 trillion (USD $144.4 billion). The loans are divided in foreign loans (IDR 588.4 trillion) and domestic loans (IDR 1.8 trillion). The country's debt-to-GDP ratio is currently approximately 24 percent.

Read more ›

Brazil has been in the spotlight as recent developments in this country influence global prices of coffee and sugar. There are currently two factors at play in Brazil, the world’s leading coffee and sugar supplier. First, ongoing drought has sharply pushed up the price of coffee. Secondly, the market is hopeful that reform-minded candidate Aécio Neves wins the Brazilian presidential election in the second voting round. This has given Brazil’s currency (real) a boost against the US dollar, and thus impacted on prices of coffee and sugar.

Read more ›

Australia's Bureau of Meteorology is increasingly convinced that the world needs to prepare for a new El Niño cycle. According to the institution, the impact of this new cycle will be felt starting from July 2014 and may continue through the winter. Also the European Center for Medium range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF) and the US Climate Prediction Center stated that chances of a new El Niño cycle in 2014 are becoming higher, although it is too early to provide an indication of this year's strength of the weather phenomenon.

Read more ›

Yesterday (26/02) strengthening Asian stock indices were unable to push the benchmark index of Indonesia (Jakarta Composite Index/IHSG) into the green zone. Today (Thursday 27 February), we witnessed the contrary: the IHSG climbed 0.80 percent to 4,568.94 points, while Asian indices were mixed. Indices in China, the Sensex and the Nikkei fell, while others rose. Those that rose responded positively toward the release of higher sales of new US single-family homes. However, the conflict in the Ukraine limited their growth.

Read more ›

Concerns about Indonesia's weakening rupiah intensified on Wednesday (21/08) as the currency is now balancing on the psychological boundary of IDR 11,000 per US dollar. The rupiah continued its downward spiral today although its decline was limited due to the intervention of Indonesia's central bank (Bank Indonesia) that started selling US dollars again in an effort to support the rupiah. According to data compiled by Reuters, the rupiah has now fallen 10.7 percent this year.

Read more ›

Last week, president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono extended the moratorium on new permits to convert natural forests and peat lands for a further two years. In 2011, Indonesia's government signed the two-year primary forest moratorium that came into effect on 20 May 2011 and expired in May 2013. This moratorium implies a temporary stop to the granting of new permits to clear rain forests and peat lands in the country. The moratorium particularly aims to limit Indonesia's quickly expanding palm oil industry.

Read more ›