Indonesia posts trade surplus for fourth straight month in November

[JAKARTA] Indonesia posted a trade surplus for a fourth consecutive month in November, the statistics bureau said on Friday, although narrower than expected.

The November surplus was US$130 million, the bureau said, the smallest so far this year. It was supported by continued growth of commodities exports to main shipping destinations such as China and India.

The median forecast in a Reuters poll was for a US$920 million surplus.

Exports rose 13.18 per cent in November from a year earlier, compared with the poll forecast of 13.01 per cent. November exports were worth US$15.28 billion.

Indonesia has had a trade surplus every month so far this year except for July.

Meanwhile, imports in November were up by 19.62 per cent at US$15.15 billion, beating analysts' forecast of 13.16 per cent growth.

Imports in November were boosted by demand for manufacturing activities, such as machineries and raw materials, the statistics bureau said.

REUTERS