Below is a list with tagged columns and company profiles.

Today's Headlines China

  • Stock Market & Rupiah Indonesia: Sell-Off Continues

    The sell-off continued in Asia on Monday (11/01). Asia's stock indices - led by China's Shanghai Composite Index - fell deep into red territory. China's muted inflation in December, today's 5.33 percent plunge of the Shanghai Composite Index, sliding oil prices, and falling stocks on Wall Street last week (US stocks experienced their worst week in four years), made investors in search of safe haven assets such as gold, Japan's yen and the US dollar. Meanwhile, Indonesia's benchmark Jakarta Composite Index fell 1.78 percent to 4,465.48 points.

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  • Indonesia Stock Market Update: Asia's Stocks in the Red, Global Selloff

    Stocks and currencies across Asia are under heavy pressure on Thursday (07/01) after China's central bank set its yuan rate 0.51 percent lower (at 6,5646 per US dollar). As a result, Chinese shares plunged over 7 percent (triggering the new circuit-breaking mechanism - for the second day this week - 30 minutes after trading opened today). Asian shares are also weak due to big losses in Europe and on Wall Street overnight. Markets reacted to the oil price that slid to a more-than-seven-year low at USD $33.97 per barrel.

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  • What is the Impact of China’s Economic Slowdown on Indonesia?

    Economic turmoil that has pushed China’s growth to a 25-year low has a direct effect on Indonesia as China is the key trading partner of Indonesia. Concern about China’s economic slowdown (and the impact of this slowdown on the world economy) persist in 2016 as the country's Caixin/Markit manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) contracted for the 10th straight month in December 2015 (at 48.2), while the services reading for December fell to a 17-month low (50.2).

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  • Contrary to Asian Trend Indonesian Stocks & Rupiah Rebound

    Although most stock markets in Asia were still in red territory, extending Monday's plunge, Indonesian stocks and the rupiah managed to rebound on Tuesday (05/01). Indonesia's benchmark Jakarta Composite Index rose 0.70 percent to 4,557.82 points. Meanwhile, the Indonesian rupiah appreciated 0.37 percent to IDR 13,892 per US dollar (Bloomberg Dollar Index). What happened on today's trading day and what explains the deviation between Indonesian assets and the general Asian trend?

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  • Coal Mining Indonesia: Focus on Other Markets than China

    Indonesia's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources expects coal shipments to India to rise in 2016, while coal exports to China are expected to decline further as the world's second-largest economy is experiencing a persistent slowdown (and China curbed imports of coal with a lower calorie grade). Adhi Wibowo, Director for Coal at the Energy Ministry, said - contrary to China - coal demand from India has not fallen. Moreover, India is highly dependent on Indonesia for its thermal coal.

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  • Why Did Indonesian Stocks and Rupiah Weaken Today?

    Contrary to expectations, Indonesian stocks and the rupiah had a weak start of the new year. On Monday (04/01) Indonesia's benchmark Jakarta Composite Index fell 1.46 percent to 4,525.92 points, while the Indonesian rupiah depreciated 0.82 percent to IDR 13,943 per US dollar (Bloomberg Dollar Index). The performance of Indonesian stocks is in line with the performance of stocks around the globe. In China stock trading was even halted twice due to its plunging index. What happened today?

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  • Stock Market Indonesia: Prognosis Jakarta Composite Index in January

    Last year the benchmark stock index of Indonesia (Jakarta Composite Index) fell 12.13 percent to finish at 4,593.01 points on 30 December 2015 amid severe global uncertainty due to looming tighter monetary policy in the USA and the rapid economic slowdown of China. Today, the Indonesia Stock Exchange will have its first trading day of the new year. What do we expect from the performance of Indonesian stocks in January 2016?

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  • Indonesia Stock Market: What are the Picks in 2016?

    Although challenges persist, Indonesia's benchmark stock index (Jakarta Composite Index) is estimated to rise in 2016, surpassing the level of 5,000 points. Last year the index fell 12.13 percent to close at 4,593.01 points. In particular Indonesia's infrastructure, banking, consumption, cement, property and construction sectors are expected to post a good performance this year on the back of accelerated domestic economic growth supported by government spending and the recent economic stimulus packages.

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  • Stock Market Indonesia: Performance Jakarta Composite Index in 2015

    The last trading day of 2015 on the Indonesia Stock Exchange has passed and now it is time to look back on the performance of Indonesia's benchmark stock index (Jakarta Composite Index) and the rupiah during 2015. The year 2015 was a hectic year, characterized by volatile behavior due to uncertainty about the timing of the looming US interest rate hike (which was finally decided upon by the Federal Reserve in December 2015) and the economic slowdown of China.

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  • Currency Update: Why is Indonesia's Rupiah Rallying?

    The Indonesian rupiah continued its remarkable rally on Tuesday (22/12). The currency had appreciated 0.98 percent to IDR 13,672 per US dollar by 11:10 am local Jakarta time (Bloomberg Dollar Index). The rupiah has recovered from a recent low of IDR 14,123 on Monday 14 December to IDR 13,672 per US dollar, a 3.2 percentage point advance in about one week. There are several matters that explain this remarkable performance.

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Latest Columns China

  • Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's Visit to Indonesia: Trade & Investment

    Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrived in Indonesia on Sunday (06/05) for a two-day visit. Part of the visit was a meet up with Indonesian President Joko Widodo (at the Presidential Palace in Bogor) to discuss bilateral trade and investment. Key points on the agenda were the strengthening of trade between both nations and enhanced cooperation on infrastructure development projects in Indonesia, including dams and railways.

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  • Can Trump's Steel Tariffs Cause Rising Steel Imports in Indonesia?

    Concerns over a trade war are rising as the European Union (EU) plans to impose a 25 percent retaliatory import tariff on various US products, ranging from clothes to motorcycles, if US President Donald Trump indeed goes ahead with his plan to impose a 25 percent import tariff on steel imports and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum imports.

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  • Palm Oil Industry Indonesia: CPO Price Under Pressure in Early March

    Several negative sentiments are putting pressure on the crude palm oil (CPO) price in the first week of March 2018. These sentiments are expected to continue pushing downward pressure on the CPO price in the remainder of this week. On Monday (05/03) the CPO price on the Malaysia Derivatives Exchange (May 2018 shipments) fell 0.28 percent to 2,467 ringgit per metric ton. Compared to one week earlier, the price has now declined 2.91 percent.

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  • Indonesia Eager Work Together to Boost Coffee Export to China

    The Consulate General of Indonesia in Guangzhou (China) said Indonesia's coffee exports to China reached USD $34.1 million in the January-September 2017 period, hence Indonesia now ranks second in terms of biggest coffee exporters to China. Vietnam ranks first, by a distance, with a coffee export value of USD $368.8 million in the same period.

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  • Stock & Currency Markets Are Getting Used to Terror Attacks

    Despite the suicide bombs attack in Jakarta on Wednesday evening (24/05) that killed 3 police officers (and the two militants) at a Jakarta bus station, the Jakarta Composite Index rose after opening on Friday (26/05), while the rupiah only weakened slightly against the US dollar (Thursday was a public holiday). It is yet another example of the fact that markets around the globe have become used to the existence of militant attacks. Particularly a relatively small attack will not lead to any negative sentiments.

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  • 30th ASEAN Summit Shows the Rising Influence of China in Asia

    Now the United States - under the Donald Trump administration - are focused on their "America First" policy, China is able to increase its influence in the Asian region. This was apparent at the 30th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit on April 26-29 at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City where regional leaders expressed their support for the denuclearization of North Korea but were reluctant to discuss the tensions around the South China Sea.

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  • Trump's USA Leaves Trans-Pacific Deal, Room for Indonesia & China?

    As promised US President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), an ambitious free trade deal that was signed in October 2015 (after five years of negotiating) and had created the world's largest free trade area (covering 12 countries and 40 percent of global trade). Trump's move to withdraw the USA from the TPP implies that he distances the USA from its Asian allies and gives China the opportunity to fill in the empty space that is left by America.

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  • How Many Foreigners Actually Work in Indonesia? No Hoax!

    Over the past couple of weeks public outcry ensued in Indonesia due to rumors (a hoax) that said there are currently about ten million workers from China in Indonesia, implying these immigrants are (potentially) "stealing" jobs from the local population. Xenophobia and nationalist sentiments are no strangers to Indonesia, a country that faced a long colonial period, and therefore this hoax easily ignited anxiety among (part of) the Indonesian people. But how many foreigners are currently actually working in Indonesia?

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