Below is a list with tagged columns and company profiles.
Today's Headlines Federal Reserve
On 6 June 2023 Indonesia Investments released the May 2023 edition of our monthly report. The report discusses key economic, political and social issues that impacted on Indonesia in the month of May 2023.
Before we give an update on the monetary policy of Indonesia’s central bank (Bank Indonesia), it is worth mentioning that Bank Indonesia Governor Perry Warjiyo was appointed for another five-year term (2023-2028) as the central bank’s chief.
The central bank of Indonesia (Bank Indonesia) raised its benchmark interest rate (BI 7-day reverse repo rate) by 25 basis points (bps) after concluding its two-day policy meeting on 18-19 January 2023. Indonesia’s benchmark rate now stands at 5.75 percent. It also raised its deposit facility and lending facility rates by 25 bps to 5.00 percent and 6.50 percent, respectively.
As expected, the central bank of Indonesia (henceforth: Bank Indonesia) decided to raise its benchmark interest rate (the 7-Day Reverse Repo Rate) by 25 basis points (bps) to 5.50 percent after concluding its latest (two-day) monetary policy meeting on 21-22 December 2022. Meanwhile, it also decided to raise the deposit facility and lending facility rates by 25 bps to 4.75 percent and 6.25 percent, respectively.
On 7 November 2022 Indonesia Investments released the October 2022 edition of its monthly report. Our report presents in-depth and independent analyses of a range of economic, political and social subjects that have been in the news in the month of October 2022.
Last month we stated that Indonesia’s central bank (Bank Indonesia) might just be at the start of a (prolonged) monetary tightening cycle. After all, higher interest rates is what we see happening across the world; a development that is led by the Federal Reserve (Fed) that has been aggressively raising its benchmark interest rate to fight inflation. This then causes capital outflows from most other parts of the world.
As Indonesia’s central bank (Bank Indonesia) was very late in terms of tightening its monetary policy amid the latest global tightening cycle – and the US Federal Reserve continued its hawkish stance with another 0.75 percentage point hike in September 2022 – it has some catching up to do.
On 4 August 2022 Indonesia Investments released the July 2022 edition of its monthly report. In this report we analyze the latest (and most relevant) economic, political and social news from Indonesia.
At its latest monetary policy meeting, held on 18-19 April 2022, Bank Indonesia decided to leave its interest rates unchanged in an effort to facilitate the ongoing economic rebound. The benchmark interest rate (the BI 7-day reverse repo rate) was maintained at 3.50 percent, while the deposit facility and lending facility rates were kept at 2.75 percent and 4.25 percent, respectively.
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.
Latest Columns Federal Reserve
The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) wrote in its most recent report that emerging economies, which includes Indonesia, are highly vulnerable to severe capital outflows as investments from the West have been highly speculative and can be quickly pulled out from emerging markets. Even when only a light shock occurs, capital outflows will be significant as international investors have been showing ‘herd behaviour’. This behavior can rock the financial fundamentals of emerging markets and leave these countries shattered.
The Indonesian rupiah exchange rate depreciated 0.35 percent to IDR 11,714 per US dollar according to the Bloomberg Dollar Index on Monday (25/08) as the positive market sentiments that were caused by Indonesia’s Constitutional Court that rejected Prabowo Subianto’s claim that the 2014 presidential election was invalid due to massive fraud, eased. Market participants were again looking at the domestic economic condition as well as international developments that are considered to impact on the performance of Indonesia’s currency.
The Indonesian rupiah exchange rate depreciated slightly against the US dollar on Monday (18/08). At the end of the trading day the rupiah had weakened 0.07 percent to IDR 11,687 per US dollar according to the Bloomberg Dollar Index. This performance was in line with the performance of most other emerging Asian currencies as market participants are awaiting the Federal Reserve's annual Jackson Hole symposium which may provide new information about US short-term interest rates and other policy strategies.
Governor of the central bank of Indonesia (Bank Indonesia), Agus Martowardojo, commented on Indonesia’s troubled current account balance on Tuesday (12/08). Martowardojo said that he expects the balance to improve in 2014. Last year, the current account deficit of Southeast Asia’s largest economy reached 3.3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP); a level which is generally regarded as unsustainable. This year, the deficit may ease to 3 percent of GDP. For investors the current account balance is an important matter. Why?
Despite China’s positive economic growth of 7.5 percent in the second quarter of 2014, most Asian stock indices were down. Only Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index (HSI) managed to show a slight gain as large cap stocks were sought after. The HSI impacted positively on the benchmark stock index of Indonesia (known as the Jakarta Composite Index or IHSG) on Wednesday (16/07) which climbed 0.85 percent to 5,113.93 points on Wednesday (16/07). Foreign investors recorded net buying.
The Indonesian rupiah exchange rate appreciated 0.33 percent to IDR 11,698 per US dollar on Wednesday (16/07) according to the Bloomberg Dollar Index. Although at the start of the trading day the rupiah weakened due to commentary of Federal Reserve Head Janet Yellen who said that US interest rates may increase sooner than expected provided that the US job market improves faster than anticipated, at the end of the trading day Indonesia's currency strengthened on improved economic growth in China, the world’s second-largest economy.
Most Asian stock indices were up on Tuesday (15/07) influenced by rising indices on Wall Street and in Europe on the previous day. Also for investors on Indonesia’s benchmark stock index (Jakarta Composite Index) this meant an opportunity to engage in stock trading even though the Indonesian rupiah exchange rate depreciated considerably and political uncertainties remain (as the winner of the Indonesian presidential election remains a question mark). In fact, investors were confused to see the Merah Putih coalition.
After a disastrous year in 2013, characterized by capital outflows from emerging economies, global investors’ confidence in emerging markets seems restored in 2014. More and more money has been flowing to Latin America and Asia, causing rising regional stock indices and lower bonds yields. For example, the stock index of India has reached a near-record level. This is in sharp contrast with developments last year when emerging stock indices, exchange rates and (most) interest rates increased.
On Tuesday (08/07), both the Indonesian rupiah exchange rate and stocks continued where they left off yesterday. Supported by optimistic market participants speculating on a Joko Widodo victory in Wednesday’s presidential election, the rupiah appreciated 0.74 percent to IDR 11,626 per US dollar based on the Bloomberg Dollar Index, while the country’s benchmark stock index (Jakarta Composite Index) rose 0.72 percent to 5,024.71 points, surpassing the psychological level at 5,000 and approaching its record high level at 5,215 (21 March 2013).
After the Indonesian rupiah exchange rate temporarily surpassed the psychological boundary of IDR 12,000 per US dollar on Wednesday (18/06), concerns about the fundamentals of the currency emerged. The currency has been under pressure recently due to external factors (monetary policy of the Federal Reserve and geopolitical tensions in Iraq) and domestic factors (large private debt, significant US dollar demand, the wide trade deficit and political uncertainty ahead of the presidential election).
