By David Nellor The Bank Indonesia (BI) surprised everyone when it eased monetary policy at its February meeting. Moving into line with global trends, it cut the policy interest rate by 25 basis points to 7.5 per cent, even though analysts had predicted no change. While the change is surprising, it has a sound rationale … Continue reading
By David Nellor No more ‘business-as-usual’ is the Jokowi government’s message in the 2015 budget. Fuel subsidies have been cut, infrastructure spending is to be ramped up, and revenues are projected to rise dramatically. These three steps deliver a 1.9 per cent fiscal deficit, down from 2.2 per cent in 2014. This leaves space for … Continue reading
The Indonesian government is planning to offer up 43 infrastructure projects valued at $52 billion to private investors in 2015 under public-private partnership (PPP) schemes, according to an official at Indonesia’s National Development Planning Ministry, Indonesian newspaper The Jakarta Globe reported on Thursday. Such projects include airports, monorail, toll roads, ports, rail, and water infrastructure, … Continue reading
Indonesia’s President-elect, Joko “Jokowi “ Widodo, is planning to hike the cost of subsidized gasoline and diesel by around 50% within two weeks of assuming office, a move which could help the Indonesian government save around $13 billion in 2015, Reuters reported today, citing an adviser to Widodo. Widodo has been under mounting pressure to cut … Continue reading