The resource-rich country has continued to post a trade surplus monthly as imports have also weakened. — Reuters
JAKARTA: Indonesia booked a US$3.48bil trade surplus last month, bigger than predicted, as exports and imports fell less than expected, data from the statistics bureau show.
Shipments from South-East Asia’s largest economy have been declining by value in recent months amid falling global commodity prices.
However, the resource-rich country has continued to post a trade surplus monthly as imports have also weakened.
Economists polled by Reuters had expected a trade surplus of US$3bil in October.
Exports in October were down 10.43% on a yearly basis to US$22.15bil, compared with economists’ prediction of a 15.35% drop.
Indonesia’s biggest export products are coal, palm oil and nickel metals.
Imports fell 2.42% on a yearly basis to US$18.67bil, versus the poll’s expectation for a 7.40% contraction. — Reuters
