JAKARTA: Indonesia’s exports and imports are expected to decline in May but at a slower pace, with the size of its trade surplus remaining roughly the same as in April, a Reuters poll showed.
Sixteen analysts predicted that exports in May would contract 7.90 percent from a year earlier – a sharp improvement from double-digit declines seen over the previous two months.
Analysts also said imports would probably fall an annual 5.92 percent, which would make it the lowest rate of decline since October 2014.
That brings the median forecast for the trade surplus in May to around $680 million, near the size of April’s $667 million surplus.
Southeast Asia’s largest economy has seen its exports and imports contract for 19 months up to April as low commodity prices hurt everything from overseas shipments and government revenue to people’s purchasing power.
