Below is a list with tagged columns and company profiles.

Today's Headlines China

  • Indonesia Stock Market & Rupiah Update: Oil & China

    Indonesia's benchmark Jakarta Composite Index (IHSG) rose 0.24 percent to 4,708.62 points, while the Indonesian rupiah appreciated 0.52 percent to IDR 13,439 per US dollar (Bloomberg Dollar Index) on Monday (22/02) amid mostly rising emerging market stocks and appreciating emerging market currencies. Investor appetite for riskier assets was triggered by higher global oil prices and rallying Chinese shares (brought about by optimism after the appointment of a new chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission.

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  • Demand for Indonesian Crude Palm Oil Fell in January 2016

    Again, crude palm oil (CPO) shipments from Indonesia - the world's largest CPO producer and exporter - declined. Based on the latest data from the Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association (Gapki), palm oil exports from Indonesia fell 16 percent on a month-on-month (m/m) basis to 2.1 million tons in January 2016. This decline was mainly caused by falling palm oil demand from the key export countries China and India.

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  • Coal Industry Indonesia Update: No End to Slumping Coal Prices

    There remains little hope to see rebounding coal prices soon. Indonesia's benchmark thermal coal price (Harga Batubara Acuan, or HBA), a monthly price set by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, fell another 4.29 percent month-to-month (m/m) to a new record low of USD $50.92 per metric ton (FOB) in February 2016 from USD $53.20 in the preceding month. Coal prices have difficulty to rise amid low crude oil and gas prices, while renewable energy sources are gaining popularity. Meanwhile, demand from China and India for Indonesian coal is falling.

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  • Japanese and Chinese Economic Data in the Spotlight

    This morning various economic data were released in Asia, most importantly data from China and Japan. China posted a record USD $63.3 billion trade surplus in January 2016, while Japan saw its gross domestic product (GDP) contract more-than-expected at 1.4 percent (y/y) in the fourth quarter of 2015. However, despite weak GDP growth data Japanese stocks managed to surge, while Chinese stocks tumbled after the record monthly trade surplus. How is that possible? And what about Indonesian assets today?

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  • Currency News Update: Indonesian Rupiah Under Pressure

    The Indonesian rupiah has been under pressure so far today (03/02) on concern that falling oil prices drag down other commodity prices, hence negatively affecting Indonesia's export performance. Yesterday, a global selloff in stocks occurred as oil prices were again touching the USD $30 per barrel mark. Emerging market currencies too are under pressure. The Indonesian rupiah had depreciated 0.79 percent to IDR 13,799 per US dollar (Bloomberg Dollar Index) by 12:55 pm local Jakarta time.

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  • Stock Market Update Indonesia: Asia Extends Selloff

    Asian stocks extended declines on Wednesday morning (03/02) as oil prices are again flirting with the USD $30 per barrel mark. Overnight, Brent crude fell 4.5 percent to USD $32 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate plunged 5.5 percent to just below the USD $30 per barrel mark. In combination with concern about the sluggish economy of China it led to another round of global selloff. Overnight the Dow Jones industrial average fell 1.8 percent, the Standard & Poor's 500 index lost 1.9 percent, while the Nasdaq composite index lost 2.2 percent.

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  • Indonesia Stock Market & Rupiah Update: China, Japan & Oil

    Asian stocks were mixed on Monday (01/02). However, Indonesia's benchmark Jakarta Composite Index rose 0.21 percent to 4,624.63 points after a volatile trading day (one hour before trading closed, the index was down more than one percent). Furthermore, the Indonesian rupiah appreciated markedly, while there occurred inflows into bonds. It seems that Japan's surprise move to introduce negative interest rates managed to offset the negative impact of weak manufacturing activity in China and falling crude oil prices.

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  • Update on Indonesia's Steel Manufacturing Industry

    Demand for steel in Indonesia is expected to rise in 2016 on enhanced infrastructure development. However, the majority of steel - approximately 60 percent of total demand in Indonesia - is still being imported from abroad (primarily China). Gusti Putu Suryawirawan, Director for Base Metal Industries at Indonesia's Industry Ministry, said the government is eager to support the domestic steel manufacturing industry in order to avert further domination of foreign manufactured steel on the Indonesian market.

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  • Indonesia Stock Market Update: China GDP & Oil in Focus

    The spotlight is - as usual - on China today as the world's second-largest economy released various macroeconomic data and markets' reaction toward these data will determine where stocks are heading for today. Wall Street will not influence Asian markets because this US financial and investment community was closed for Martin Luther King Jr Day on Monday. Meanwhile, the crude oil price remains low around USD $29 per barrel.

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  • Global Selloff Continues on Low Crude Oil and China Turmoil

    Asian stocks are again in deep red territory on Thursday (14/01), led by Chinese shares (which are on track to enter a bear market) as well as Japanese shares. It means that the rebound that had occurred earlier this week - caused by positive export data from China - was short-lived. The continued slide of oil prices (below USD $30 per barrel) and turmoil in China cause money to flow away from equity and fragile emerging market currencies.

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Latest Columns China

  • Market Update: Why Indonesian Stocks & Rupiah Strengthen on Friday?

    After a real roller coaster ride, Indonesia’s benchmark stock index (Jakarta Composite Index) climbed 0.35 percent to 4,446.20 points at the end of the trading week. The majority of key stock indices across the globe tended to strengthen on Friday after a week characterized by severe volatility amid concern about the economic situation in China.

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  • Indonesia’s Currency still above 14,000 per USD, Why a Weak Rupiah is a Problem

    Although Indonesian stocks managed to rebound, the rupiah continued to depreciate against the US dollar today (25/08). However, rupiah weakening was limited as Bank Indonesia was closely monitoring and intervening in markets to support the rupiah. Based on the Bloomberg Dollar Index, the Indonesian rupiah depreciated 0.03 percent to IDR 14,054 per US dollar. As significant further rupiah weakening is assumed to seriously undermine confidence in the rupiah, the central bank’s intervention efforts are well received by investors.

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  • Press Release Bank Indonesia: BI Rate Held at 7.50% in August 2015

    During Bank Indonesia’s Board of Governors it was decided on 18th August 2015 to hold the BI Rate at 7.50 percent, while maintaining the Deposit Facility rate at 5.50 percent and the Lending Facility rate at 8.00 percent. The decision is consonant with efforts to control inflation within the target corridor of 4±1 percent in 2015 and 2016. In the short term, Bank Indonesia (BI) is focused on efforts to stabilize the rupiah amid uncertainty in the global economy, by optimizing monetary operations in the rupiah and the foreign exchange market.

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  • Weaker Yuan Likely to Weigh on Indonesian Businesses

    For most of this year, the financial media has held a generally positive tone. There have been some exceptions in cases like the Eurozone which is still mired in a deeply divided sovereign debt crisis. But for most of the world, 2015 has been a positive period in terms of general growth in their broad trends. So it might be easy for macro investors to assume that most markets are currently establishing themselves in the bullish direction.

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  • Rising Unemployment in Indonesia as Coal Miners Cease Production

    In the 2000s many Indonesian companies diversified their business to include coal mining (or shifting their core business to coal mining altogether) due to lucrative opportunities amid the 2000s commodities boom. However, since 2009 mining companies have had to face tough times. Especially since 2011 commodity prices have shown a declining trend and there remains little hope of a rebound on the short term as the sluggish global economic growth trend persists, particularly led by the economic slowdown in China.

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  • Indonesia 8th Largest Shareholder Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

    Indonesia is the eight-largest shareholder within the newly established Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). The Indonesian Finance Ministry announced earlier this week that the country will invest USD $672.1 million in the AIIB over the next five years. The AIIB is a new multilateral financial institution (initiated by China) that is to provide funds for infrastructure development projects in the Asia Pacific region. Initially, the AIIB has an authorized capital of USD $50 billion. This is expected to grow to USD $100 billion.

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  • Market Update Indonesia: Why Stocks Rose but the Rupiah Weakened?

    In line with other Asian indices, Indonesian stocks rose on Tuesday (26/05). The benchmark Jakarta Composite Index rose 0.62 percent to 5,320.90 points. Positive sentiments did not originate from the USA as US stock markets were closed for a holiday yesterday but primarily stemmed from China where the economic planning agency announced to implement several new policies in a bid to boost the sluggish economy. The rupiah, however, depreciated 0.25 percent to IDR 13,220 per US dollar based on the Bloomberg Dollar Index.

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  • Commodity Watch: Influence Indonesian Export Ban on Nickel Price Short-Lived

    At the start of 2014 Indonesia introduced its long-planned export ban on raw mineral ores in a bid to strengthen the domestic economy by reducing its dependence on raw commodity exports and instead forcing miners to process their raw ores domestically before exporting is allowed. Being an important global supplier of certain ores, this new Indonesian rule (stipulated by Law No.4/2009 on Coal and Mineral Mining) has a considerable impact on global markets and prices, one of which being nickel.

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  • Obstacles in Indonesia’s Investment Climate: A Chinese Perspective

    Indonesia is not the easiest place to invest for foreign investors. This is reflected by the World Bank's Doing Business 2014 index in which Indonesia ranks 120th. In a business forum, held last week in Beijing, Chinese businessmen expressed a number of matters that blocked or seriously delayed their investments in Indonesia. For Indonesia (both domestic and foreign) investment realization, particularly in infrastructure, is important as investments is considered the main driver for the country’s economic growth in 2016.

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  • Indonesia’s Reference Coal Price Hits All-Time Low in May 2015

    On Monday (11/05), it was announced that the reference coal price of Indonesia declined 5.2 percent (month-on-month) to an all-time low of USD $61.08 per metric ton in May. This benchmark price, which is set by the government each month based on the average of four coal indexes (Indonesia Coal Index, Platts Index, New Castle Export Index and New Castle Global Coal Index), continued to plummet due to the coal oversupply in combination with weak global coal demand (particularly falling demand from China).

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