Subscriber Update - Impact Fed Tapering on Indonesia's Financial Markets
Update COVID-19 in Indonesia: 4,223,094 confirmed infections, 142,413 deaths (06 October 2021)
08 October 2021 (closed)
Jakarta Composite Index (6,481.77) +65.37 +1.02%
USD/IDR (14,146) -6.00 -0.04%
EUR/IDR (17,335) +57.05 +0.33%
Below is a list with tagged columns and company profiles.
Today's Headlines GDP
Although in some respects Indonesia has exited the COVID-19 crisis (for example, the economic recession ended in Q2-2021, and the number of new COVID-19 cases and deaths eased significantly), the road ahead is uncertain and full of challenges.
On Thursday (07.10.2021) Indonesia Investments released its September 2021 report. This report discusses a range of subjects - related to political developments, the economy and social matters - that were influential in Indonesia in the month of September 2021.
On Tuesday (07.09.2021) Indonesia Investments released its August 2021 report. This report discusses a range of subjects - related to political developments, the economy and social matters - that occurred in Indonesia in the month of August 2021.
On 5 August 2021 Indonesia’s Statistical Agency (Badan Pusat Statistik, henceforth BPS) released the official gross domestic product (GDP) data for the second quarter of 2021.
On Thursday (05.08.2021) Indonesia Investments released its July 2021 report. This 182-page report discusses a range of subjects - related to political developments, the economy and social matters that occurred in Indonesia in the month of July 2021.
Lockdowns and restrictions imposed by governments around the globe in an effort to curb the further spread of COVID-19 in society as well as people’s fear to contract COVID-19 resulted in an unprecedented decline in consumption, production, trade, tourism and investment, particularly in the second quarter of 2020.
On Monday (05.07.2021) Indonesia Investments released its latest report - the June 2021 edition titled 'COVID-19 Crisis Intensifies; Second Wave Resembles Tsunami'. In the report we analyze the huge surge in new confirmed COVID-19 cases that occurred in Indonesia in recent weeks and the emergency measures (PPKM Darurat) that have been imposed by the government.
After a whopping 16 straight months of contraction (on an annual basis), the latest retail sales data (released by Bank Indonesia) showed that retail sales in Indonesia jumped 15.6 percent year-on-year (y/y) in April 2021. That is a strong rebound!
On 7 June 2021 Indonesia Investments released its new report, titled Road to Net Zero Emissions. In this report we discuss a selection of relevant topics (related to politics, the economy, and social matters) with a special emphasis on how political, ideological, and socio-economic developments in the West impact on Indonesia. One might wonder to what extent does Western imperialism in Asia continue up to the present day?
On 5 May 2021, Indonesia’s Statistical Agency (Badan Pusat Statistik, BPS), released the latest gross domestic product (GDP) data of Indonesia, covering the first quarter of 2021. As expected, the economic recession persisted into Q1-2021 for Southeast Asia’s largest economy.
Latest Columns GDP
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?
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.
Right at the very start of July 2021, Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced ‘emergency measures’ (in Indonesian called Pemberlakukan Pembatasan Kegiatan Masyarakat Darurat, or PPKM Darurat, which roughly translates to the Enforcement of Restrictions on Activities in Society) in a renewed effort to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia.
For Indonesia, the month of April 2021 was particularly dominated by the arrival of Ramadan, the holy fasting month for the Muslim community. From the evening of 12 April 2021 Muslims fast (typically from sunrise to sunset) up to 12 May 2021. It is also known as a period of intensified praying and reading the Qur’an for the Muslim community as well as higher focus on generosity.
We detected a very positive development over the past two months. The number of new confirmed COVID-19 cases in Indonesia continued to decline heavily, a trend that began at the very start of February 2021. While on 1 February 2021, a total of 10,994 new COVID-19 infections were found, this number has almost halved as we enter April 2021 (see the chart below).
The other day, I had a conversation with my neighbors – a married couple who run a bakery and café in the city center of Yogyakarta. From previous conversations I knew that their business is heavily affected by the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Even up to the point that they had to find a cheaper school for their oldest daughter.
It was a rough first month of the year for Indonesia. Obviously, the COVID-19 crisis persists (and there are signs to assume this crisis will persist throughout 2021) with the total number of confirmed COVID-19 infections in Indonesia now having passed the one million mark.
It came as a big surprise to us when the central bank of Indonesia (Bank Indonesia) announced on 19 November 2020 (the day it concluded its two-day monetary policy meeting) that it decided to cut its benchmark interest rate (the seven-day reverse repo rate) by 25 basis points to 3.75 percent. Bank Indonesia also cut its deposit facility and lending facility rates by 25 basis points to 3.00 percent and 4.50 percent, respectively.
