Indonesia trade surplus seen shrinking to $4 billion in August: Reuters poll
A drone view shows stacks of containers at the Tanjung Priok port in Jakarta, Indonesia, July 10, 2025. REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana
JAKARTA :Indonesia's trade surplus likely narrowed to $4 billion in August, as exports shrank while imports remained in contraction, a Reuters poll showed on Tuesday.
In July, the surplus was at $4.18 billion, supported by strong shipments of palm oil products and machinery.
Southeast Asia's largest economy has recorded a back-to-back monthly trade surplus since mid-2020, and recently driven by a surge in exports ahead of U.S. tariff implementation.
The median forecast of 14 economists, surveyed by Reuters between September 22 and 30, estimated a 5.5 per cent year-on-year rise in exports for August, compared with a 9.86 per cent increase in July.
Imports were expected to contract 1.6 per cent after shrinking by 5.86 per cent in July.
On Wednesday, the statistics bureau will also announce Indonesia's consumer price index data for September.
The survey forecast annual headline inflation at 2.5 per cent for September, accelerated slightly from 2.31 per cent in August, while month-to-month inflation was seen at 0.13 per cent versus deflation of 0.08 per cent in August.
Annual core inflation, which strips out government-controlled and volatile food prices, was expected at 2.2 per cent in September, compared with 2.17 per cent in August.
The central bank targets inflation within a 1.5 per cent-3.5 per cent range in 2025.
(Polling by Pranoy Krishna and Susobhan Sarkar; Writing by Stefanno Sulaiman; Editing by Eileen Soreng)
