Below is a list with tagged columns and company profiles.

Today's Headlines Inflation

  • Bank Indonesia's Rate Cut Boosts Optimism for Economic Growth

    In the first three monthly policy meetings this year (January-March) the central bank of Indonesia (Bank Indonesia) cut borrowing costs by a total of 75 basis points. Indonesia's benchmark interest rate (BI rate) was cut from 7.50 percent at the year-start to 6.75 percent at Thursday's Board of Governors' meeting. The overnight deposit facility rate and lending facility rate were also cut by 75 basis points, each, in the first three months. The lower interest rate environment in Indonesia signals that the financial fundamentals are strong. This is partly reason behind strong inflows of foreign capital into Southeast Asia's largest economy.

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  • Indonesia's Currency Extends Rally, Concern about Overvalued Rupiah

    The Indonesian rupiah is flirting with the IDR 13,000 per US dollar level on Monday (07/03) supported by improving risk appetite of investors. By 13:40 pm local Jakarta time, the currency of Indonesia had appreciated 0.64 percent to IDR 13,047 per US dollar (Bloomberg Dollar Index). The rupiah is now on a 13-day 'winning streak', its longest rally in six years, and is the second-best performing emerging market currency after Brazil's real so far this year. What is behind this good performance, and is it sustainable?

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  • Indonesia Investments' Newsletter of 6 March 2016 Released

    On 6 March 2016, Indonesia Investments released the latest edition of its newsletter. This free newsletter, which is sent to our subscribers once per week, contains the most important news stories from Indonesia that have been reported on our website over the last seven days. Most of the topics involve economic matters such as the performance of the rupiah, February inflation & manufacturing activity, financial sustainability of Indonesia's health insurance program, Sukri bonds, public accountability, natural resources, and more.

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  • Indonesia's Consumer Confidence Slightly Weaker in February 2016

    Indonesia's consumer confidence regarding the country's macroeconomic conditions weakened in February 2016. Bank Indonesia's Consumer Confidence Index dropped 2.6 points to 110. The survey indicates that there are two reasons that explain this decline. Firstly, lower optimism about current economic conditions of Indonesia and, secondly, lower optimism regarding job availability over the next six months. Bank Indonesia's monthly survey is based on data provided by 4,600 households in 18 Indonesian cities across the archipelago.

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  • Deflation at 0.09% m/m, Indonesia's Annual Inflation Up 4.42% y/y

    In line with expectation, Indonesia's consumer price index fell in February 2016. Based on the latest data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), released this morning, Southeast Asia's largest economy recorded deflation of 0.09 percent month-on-month (m/m) in the second month of the year on the back of lower food prices and lower electricity tariffs. However, on a year-on-year basis, Indonesia's inflation rate rose from 4.14 percent (y/y) in January to 4.42 percent (y/y) in February.

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  • Rice Mafia of Indonesia Active Again? Suspicious Supply-Price Fluctuation

    Indonesian Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman has a strong suspicion that the "rice mafia" is behind the recent fluctuations in rice supply and prices in Indonesia. Suspicion emerged after new rice supplies suddenly 'flooded' Indonesian markets in February when prices of rice had already risen due to the scarcity of supplies. Sulaiman believes there is a cartel consisting of six big Indonesian rice distributors that deliberately hid rice output after last year's harvest and waited for prices to rise significantly before supplying rice to the markets in order to see higher profits.

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  • Indonesia in Need to Revise 2016 State Budget

    The Indonesian government will revise a number of macroeconomic assumptions set in the 2016 State Budget (APBN 2016). This budget was approved on 30 October 2015 and therefore has begun to fall out of tune with the current economic reality. Indonesian Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro said the indicators that need some rethinking are the Indonesian crude oil price, inflation, and the rupiah exchange rate.

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  • Indonesia's Rupiah under Pressure Ahead of BI Rate Announcement

    Today, Bank Indonesia will start its February two-day policy meeting. Markets are eagerly awaiting whether the central bank of Indonesia will indeed cut its key interest rate (BI rate) again. Last month, it had cut the BI rate by 0.25 percent to 7.25 percent as inflation, the current account deficit and the rupiah rate were all under control. Although the rate cut was welcomed by the business community it was considered not enough to push borrowing costs lower in Southeast Asia's largest economy hence unable to boost economic activity significantly.

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  • Indonesia Investments' Newsletter of 7 February 2016 Released

    On 7 February 2016, Indonesia Investments released the latest edition of its newsletter. This free newsletter, which is sent to our subscribers once per week, contains the most important news stories from Indonesia that have been reported on our website over the last seven days. Most of the topics involve economic matters such as an analysis of 2015 GDP growth realization, tax revenue, inflation, manufacturing activity, foreign relations, business restructuring of Panasonic and Toshiba, consumer confidence, the IKEA court case, the Zika virus, and more.

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  • Consumer Confidence: Why are Indonesian Consumers more Optimistic?

    The central bank of Indonesia (Bank Indonesia) reported that Indonesian consumers are becoming increasingly optimistic about economic prospects and their personal financial situation this year, evidenced by a 5.1 point rise in Bank Indonesia's Consumer Confidence Index to 112.6 points in January 2016. This index is based on a survey, involving 4,600 households in 18 cities across the archipelago (a reading above 100 indicates optimism, while a reading below 100 indicates pessimism).

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Latest Columns Inflation

  • What about Indonesia's Economic Growth in 2014? Growing or Slowing?

    After Statistics Indonesia (BPS) had announced on Monday (05/05) that Indonesia's gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 5.21 percent year-on-year (yoy) in the first quarter of 2014 (considerably below analysts' projections of around 5.6 percent), concerns have risen about the country's economic expansion for the remainder of the year. The government of Indonesia targets a GDP growth rate of between 5.8 and 6.0 percent (yoy). However, several international institutions do not agree with this optimistic target.

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  • Indonesia's Transition Year of 2015; Slowing GDP Growth & State Spending

    Indonesian Finance Minister Chatib Basri said that the country's economic growth in 2015 is targeted in the range of 5.5 to 6.3 percent. Amid further Federal Reserve tapering and possible interest rate hikes in the world's largest economy, chances of capital outflows from emerging markets (including Indonesia) are becoming larger. Basri said that these global conditions impact on GDP growth, the Indonesian rupiah exchange rate and inflation. Therefore, 2015 is a transition year, reflected by tighter economic projections and state spending.

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  • Update on Indonesian April Inflation and March Trade Balance Data

    The central bank of Indonesia (Bank Indonesia) stated that the country's inflation outcome in April 2014 is further evidence of a continuing downward trend. In fact, Indonesia's consumer price index (CPI) in April recorded deflation of -0.02 percent month-to-month (mtm) or 7.25 percent year-on-year (yoy), thus easing compared to 0.08 percent (mtm) of inflation or 7.32 percent (yoy) in March 2014. Since January 2014, Indonesia has now recorded moderating inflation, both on a monthly and annual basis.

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  • Manufacturing in Indonesia (HSBC PMI) Accelerates in April 2014

    Indonesia’s HSBC Markit Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI) showed a reading of 51.1 in April 2014, significantly up from 50.1 in the previous month, meaning that manufacturing activity in Indonesia has grown (a reading above 50.0 indicates expansion, while a reading below 50.0 indicates contraction). In fact, amid improved economic conditions as well as strong demand, manufacturing activity in Southeast Asia’s largest economy expanded at the fastest pace in 11 months.

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  • ICRA Indonesia’s Economic Review; an Update on the Macroeconomy

    ICRA Indonesia, an independent credit rating agency and subsidiary of ICRA Ltd. (associate of Moody's Investors Service), publishes a monthly newsletter which provides an update on the financial and economic developments in Indonesia of the last month. In the March 2014 edition, a number of important topics that are monitored include Indonesia's inflation rate, the trade balance, the BI rate, the IDR rupiah exchange rate, and gross domestic product (GDP) growth. Below is an excerpt of the newsletter:

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  • Bank Indonesia Maintains Benchmark Interest Rate (BI Rate) at 7.50%

    The central bank of Indonesia (Bank Indonesia) decided to maintain its benchmark interest rate (BI rate) at 7.50 percent at the Board of Governors’ Meeting held on Tuesday 8 April 2014. The Lending Facility rate and Deposit Facility rate were held at 7.50 percent and 5.75 percent respectively. This policy is consistent with ongoing efforts to steer inflation back towards its target corridor of 4.5±1 percent in 2014 and 4.0±1 percent in 2015, as well as to reduce the current account deficit to a more sustainable level.

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  • Economic Growth of Indonesia in Quarter I-2014 Projected at 5.75%

    Indonesia's gross domestic product (GDP) growth is expected to move sideways in the first quarter of 2014. Finance Minister Chatib Basri forecasts a growth rate of between 5.7 and 5.8 percent, similar to the growth pace that was recorded in the fourth quarter of 2013 (5.78 percent). Based on data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), economic growth in Indonesia has slowed since the second quarter of 2013. In Q2-2013, Indonesia's GDP expanded by 5.89 percent, thereby ending a ten-quarter streak of +6 percentage growth.

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  • Central Bank of Indonesia Expected to Keep its Key Interest Rate at 7.50%

    Indonesia's benchmark interest rate (BI rate) is expected to be maintained at 7.50 percent at Bank Indonesia's Board of Governor's Meeting on Tuesday 8 April 2014. Despite Indonesia's moderating inflation rate (7.32 percent year on year in March 2014) and the February 2014 trade surplus of USD $785 million, the BI rate may be left unchanged in order to support the further easing of Indonesia's current account deficit and to offset the impact of the possible US interest rate hikes in 2015 and 2016.

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  • Bank Indonesia Press Release: March Inflation and February Trade Balance

    The rate of inflation in March 2014 demonstrated that the ongoing downward trend persists. In the reporting month of March 2014, inflation was recorded at 0.08 percent (month-to-month) or 7.32 percent (year-on-year), down from the rates recorded in the previous two months at 1.07 percent (mtm) or 8.22 percent (yoy) in January and 0.26 percent (mtm) or 7.75 percent (yoy) in February. The declining inflation trend is further evidenced by a lower rate recorded in March 2014 than the historical average over the past six years at 0.24 percent (mtm).

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  • Indonesian Rupiah and IHSG Strengthen on Yellen and Domestic Data

    At 15:00 local Jakarta time on Tuesday (01/04), the Indonesian rupiah exchange rate as well as the country's benchmark stock index (known as the IHSG or Jakarta Composite Index) have shown a positive performance so far. Based on the Bloomberg Dollar Index, the rupiah appreciated 0.64 percent to IDR 11,288 per US dollar, while the IHSG climbed 2.15 percent to 4,871.38. A number of internal and external factors contributed to this remarkable performance today.

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