Below is a list with tagged columns and company profiles.

Today's Headlines Commodities

  • Indonesia's P/E Ratio Relatively Low Compared to Regional Economies

    Indonesian newspaper Investor Daily reported that stocks at the Indonesia Stock Exchange are still relatively cheap compared to regional stock indices. Currently, the price to earnings ratio (P/E ratio) of Indonesia's main index is about 18. In contrast, South Korea's Kospi index amounts to 34, Japan's Nikkei 28, Taiwan's Taiex 23, and Philippines' PSE stands at 23 times earnings. As the Indonesian economy as well as its companies' profit figures are projected to grow, the P/E is expected to fall to 16 this year.

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  • IMF Optimistic About Economic Growth in the Asian Region

    The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has upgraded its forecast for this year's economic growth in the ASEAN-5 countries (which comprises Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam) from an initial 5.5 percent to 6.0 percent. Next year, however, the IMF revised down its forecast for the region from 5.7 percent to 5.5 percent. In 2012, ASEAN-5 had experienced 6.1 percent of economic growth, up from 4.5 percent the previous year.

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  • Indonesia's Palm Oil Exports Rise Amid Volatile Path Towards Price Recovery

    Indonesia's palm oil exports (palm oil and palm kernel) rose by 9.1 percent (month-on-month) to 2.04 million metric tons in February, according to data from the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (Gapki). This level - the highest in about five years - was brought on due to increased purchases from China and Pakistan. Indonesia's palm oil industry may experience a better year in 2013 as exports in the first two months of 2013 rose 29 percent from last year.

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  • Net Profit of Crude Palm Oil Producer BW Plantation Falls 18.17 Percent in 2012

    BW Plantation (BWPT), a mid-sized crude palm oil (CPO) and palm kernels (PK) producer, felt the impact of weak global demand for commodities in 2012. The company's net profit in 2012 fell 18.17 percent to IDR 262.18 billion (US $26.89 million). Profit per share fell to IDR 64,83 from IDR 79,35 per share last year. The decline in profit was particularly caused by an increase in operating expenses from IDR 131.05 billion (US $13.44 million) to IDR 153.87 billion (US $15.78 million).

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  • Survey: Indonesia's Mining Sector Not Conducive for Foreign Investment

    Indonesia has been named one of the world's least attractive places regarding foreign investment in the mining sector according to a survey conducted by Canadian think-tank the Fraser Institute. Major concerns include legal uncertainty and red tape (bureacracy). Moreover, the country has been showing a worsening trend in recent years as its rank declined from 72th in 2009 to 97th in 2013.

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  • Shipping Company Trans Power Marine Makes Good Debut on Stock Exchange

    Yesterday, Trans Power Marine made a solid debut on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IHSG). The Indonesian shipping company listed 15 percent of its shares in the initial public offering (IPO) for the price of IDR 230 per share. At the end of the trading day, its shares had surged by 50 percent to IDR 345 (US $0.04). In total, the company gained IDR 90.85 billion (US $9.4 million) through the IPO. These funds will be used to buy new vessels.

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  • Indonesia's Palm Oil Exports Going Through a Dry Spell

    Exports of Indonesian palm oil may drop to 1.51 million metric tonnes (MT) in February, a 5.6 percent decline from January. Importers prefer to buy the commodity in Malaysia where the government has put in place a duty free tariff on its palm oil exports in order to reduce large stockpiles. Indonesia, on the other hand, has a nine percent export duty as the government tries to gain more revenue out of its natural resources.

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Latest Columns Commodities

  • Mining in Indonesia: Concern about High Non-Performing Loan Ratio

    The non-performing loan (NPL) ratio in Indonesia's mining and excavation sector has risen drastically over the past year. Moreover, there seems few room for an improvement of the NPL ratio in this sector on the short term because mining and excavation companies are expected to remain amid tough conditions in the remainder of the year. The NPL ratio is a key indicator for measuring bad loans.

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  • Protectionism in Indonesia: Falling Role of Commodities in the Economy

    An interesting story was released on Bloomberg Markets Asia on Wednesday (29/03) about the sliding role of commodities in the Indonesian economy and the need for Southeast Asia's largest economy to find a new growth engine (or better: several new growth engines) that will take the country to economic growth levels of +7 percent year-on-year (y/y) as once pledged by Indonesian President Joko Widodo during his presidential campaign in 2014.

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  • 2009 Mining Law: Indonesia to Stick with Mineral Ore Export Ban?

    It remains unclear whether Indonesia will revise the export ban that is stipulated by the 2009 Mining Law (Law No. 4/2009 on Mineral and Coal Mining) and is supposed to come into effect on 12 January 2017. The 2009 Mining Law stipulates a ban on the export of unprocessed and semi-processed ores from Indonesia. The regulation aims to boost development of the nation's smelting capacity, hence becoming an exporter of materials that are positioned higher up in the value chain while curbing Indonesia's current dependence on exports of raw materials.

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  • Vale Indonesia: Tough Times as Long as Nickel Prices Remain Low

    Vale Indonesia, Indonesia's largest nickel producer, is one of those mining companies that has been plagued by low commodity prices. Various securities companies have cut their recommendation for the purchase of Vale Indonesia's shares due to persistently low nickel prices. Net profit of Vale Indonesia is expected to decline by 50 percent (y/y) to USD $26 million in 2016 as the company's average nickel sales price is expected to fall 29.5 percent (y/y) to USD $6,848 per ton this year.

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  • International Monetary Fund (IMF) Sees Indonesia's GDP Growth at 4.9%

    The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects Indonesia's economy to expand 4.9 percent year-on-year (y/y) in 2016, slightly up from a 4.8 percentage point (y/y) growth of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2015. On Tuesday (15/03) Luis Breuer, IMF Mission Chief for Indonesia, said the Washington-based lender projects limited growth (+0.1 percent) of Indonesia's private consumption this year. Regarding growth of investment and government spending in 2016, the IMF holds a more positive view. On the same day, the World Bank cut its forecast for Indonesia's 2016 GDP growth by 0.2 percent to 5.1 percent.

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  • Investing in Indonesia's Crude Palm Oil Industry - Introduction

    Although the palm oil industry of Indonesia is resented by many for the negative impact it has on mother nature (for example the seasonal forest fires that occur on parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan), it also constitutes a vital industry: across the globe crude palm oil (CPO) is used for the production of a wide variety of products from food, cooking oil to cosmetics or biodiesel. Indonesia is the world's largest producer and exporter of CPO. This column is the first installment in a series, written by Senior Consultant William Yang, that discusses Indonesia's palm oil industry, particularly the different business models, the risks, and how to invest safely in this industry.

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  • Flip-Flop in Indonesian Politics: Reviewing the Mineral Ore Export Ban

    The government of Indonesia is yet to find a middle way between encouraging the development of processing facilities for the country's mining output and the relaxation of mineral ore exports. Based on Law No. 4/2009 on Mineral and Coal Mining (New Mining Law), exports of mineral ore should have been fully banned in 2014. However, due to the lack of domestic smelting capacity a last-minute regulation was signed in early January 2014 by former Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono that softened this ban.

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