Below is a list with tagged columns and company profiles.

Today's Headlines Trade War

  • Good Start of the Week for Indonesian Stocks & Rupiah

    Most stocks in the Southeast Asian region were in green territory on Monday (20/08). So was Indonesia's benchmark Jakarta Composite Index. The index rose a whopping 1.87 percent to close at 5,892.19 points at the first trading day of the new week, pairing some of the losses it has suffered in recent weeks.

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  • Escalating Trade War Impacts on Indonesia's Commodity Prices

    Earlier this week US President Donald Trump announced plans to impose 10 percent import tariffs on USD $200 billion worth of Chinese export products by 30 August 2018, thus further escalating the trade war between the USA and China. While earlier US tariffs focused mostly on industrial goods, the new list of proposed import tariffs includes various commodities (metals, energy and agriculture) as well as consumer products. As a result most commodity prices were in red territory on Wednesday (11/07).

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  • Currency of Indonesia: Rupiah Finding a New Equilibrium Rate?

    The central bank of Indonesia (Bank Indonesia) hiked its benchmark interest rate three times over the past six weeks - by a total of 1.00 percent to take the benchmark to the level of 5.25 percent - in order to defend the rupiah. Last Friday (27/06) Bank Indonesia surprised part of the market by implementing a 0.50 percent rate hike. As a result, the rupiah strengthened markedly. However, its impact on the rupiah performance seems very temporary. This week the rupiah is again depreciating, hovering around the IDR 14,400 per US dollar level.

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  • Stocks & Currency Update Indonesia: Jakarta Composite Index & Rupiah

    Asian stocks and emerging market currencies continue to be under pressure on Thursday morning (28/06) amid uncertainty regarding US authorities' stance on Chinese investment in US tech companies, ongoing concerns over the impact of simmering global trade woes on economic growth, and rising crude oil prices. However, as we approach the lunch break there are some signs of a rebound in Asian markets.

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  • Trade Balance Indonesia: $1.52 Billion Deficit in May 2018

    After a (revised) USD $1.63 billion trade deficit in April 2018, Indonesia posted another big trade deficit in the following month. In May 2018 Indonesia's trade deficit reached USD $1.52 billion, slightly lower from the deficit in the preceding month but still constituting a wider deficit than had been expected by analysts. Despite rising exports in May, a soaring crude oil price managed to put big pressures on Indonesia's trade balance.

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  • Rupiah at IDR 14,200 per US Dollar, Indonesian Stocks Extend Losses

    While most Asian stocks (as well as US and European stock futures) are in green territory on Monday (21/05) on the back of easing concerns about a potential global trade war (led by the US and China), Indonesian assets remain under pressure. Over the weekend, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the US-China trade war is "on hold" following both sides' agreement to suspend any tariff threats for now. This has a positive impact on global markets.

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  • Currency & Equity Markets Indonesia Under Pressure, Rate Hike Likely

    The Indonesian rupiah and benchmark Jakarta Composite Index are again under pressure on Tuesday (15/05) as the 10-year US treasury yield is again touching 3 percent, while tensions in the Middle East increase and uncertainty about US-China trade relations persist ahead of a meeting between US and Chinese officials in Washington later this week where trade talks resume. Meanwhile, crude oil prices recovered to around USD $71 per barrel, approaching a 3.5 years high, on the back of reduced supply as OPEC reported that the global oil glut has been virtually eliminated.

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  • Currency Update: Rupiah Under Pressure Amid US Dollar Strength

    The Indonesian rupiah depreciated heavily against the US dollar on Friday (20/04) amid the release of positive US economic data, a rise in the benchmark 10-year US bond yields, while the US Federal Reserve may remain on track to push for monetary tightening as concerns about geopolitical trouble and a global trade war ease. Meanwhile, the start of the US earnings season was promising with 88 percent of released reports either meeting or exceeding consensus (so far about 15 percent of US companies have released their corporate earnings reports).

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  • Indonesia's Steel Exports to USA Surged in March, Impact of Trump Tariffs?

    When looking at the trade data that were released by Indonesia’s Statistics Agency (BPS) on Monday (16/04) there is something interesting about Indonesia’s steel exports. Indonesia is a relatively small steel producing nation (and actually imports about half of its domestic steel consumption, mostly from China) but its iron & steel exports to the USA soared over 1,500 percent month-on-month (m/m) from USD $2.13 million in February 2018 to USD $35 million in March 2018. Reason behind this surge may very well be the trade war between China and the USA.

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Latest Columns Trade War

  • Indonesia Economy: Stock Markets Trying to Find Bottom

    Indonesia’s stock market continues to struggle in attempts to find a bottom, as recent declines have been propelled by lower-than-expected GDP figures. For the first quarter, annualized growth of rates of 5.07 percent indicated a slight miss relative to the consensus estimates for the period (5.18 percent). Primary weaknesses were seen in export markets, where slowing demand for key commodities (such as coal and palm oil) indicated contraction for the first time since 2016.

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  • Keynote Speech of Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati

    At the annual “Fitch Ratings Indonesia Credit Briefing”, which was organized on 20 March 2019 in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Jakarta, Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati was invited to present her keynote speech. This year's theme of Fitch Ratings’ annual event in Jakarta was "The Election, Macro-Economy and Credit Market", and therefore Sri Mulyani’s speech focused on two topics: (1) the elections and (2) the economy.

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  • CEOs’ Perceptions of the National Economy and Politics Improves in Q4-2018

    It are challenging times for businessmen and investors in Indonesia. An escalating trade war between the United States and China is felt by emerging markets including Indonesia. For example, the rupiah has weakened to a 20-year low against the US dollar. Meanwhile, Indonesia's legislative and presidential elections are scheduled for April 2019 and the results can have big consequences for the country's investment climate.

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  • Economy of Indonesia is Facing Several Big Challenges

    There are doubts whether Indonesia's gross domestic product (GDP) growth can reach 5.2 percent year-on-year (y/y) in full-year 2018 as Indonesia is experiencing a couple of major challenges. Challenges include the global trade war, the fragile rupiah, Bank Indonesia's higher benchmark interest rate, the current account deficit, and political tensions ahead of the 2019 legislative and presidential elections. Currently, Indonesia Investments' forecast for Indonesia's economic growth is set at 5.2 percent (y/y) in 2018.

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  • Trade War Kicks Off, Trump also Eyes Tariffs on Indonesian Goods

    The big news story today is that US tariffs on USD $34 billion worth of Chinese goods came into effect this morning (06/07). Considering China immediately imposed retaliatory tariffs on US imports, it means we are witnessing the start of the global trade war. There have been major concerns over simmering trade tensions ever since US President Donald Trump announced steep steel and aluminum tariffs back in late-February 2018. Now, however, the trade war has really arrived.

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