JAKARTA: Indonesia’s exports and imports likely rose for a third consecutive month in December from a year earlier, a Reuters poll showed.
Twelve analysts in the poll gave a median forecast of 13.3 percent for export growth in December on an annual basis, down from November’s 21.3 percent pace. The pace of import gains was also seen slowing to 3.5 percent in December, from 9.9 percent in November.
The trade balance was forecast to show a surplus of $840 million, near the $838 million seen in the previous month. Singapore-based DBS’ economist Gundy Cahyadi said “we may see a pullback in December” after better-than-expected November data.
“We have seen a bottoming out of imports of capital goods towards end-2016. If this trend were to sustain, it supports our view that investment growth is set to pick up in 2017. This will be a positive boost for the economy,” he added.
Indonesia central bank Deputy Governor Perry Warjiyo told reporters on Friday (13/01) seen at around 1.94 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in the last three month period of 2016. The deficit was $4.5 billion in the third quarter of 2016, or 1.83 percent of GDP.
