Monday, November 11, 2024

Government anticipates economic impact of escalating Iran-Israel conflict

Reading Time: 2 minutes
Audina Nur

Journalist

Editor

Interview

The Coordinating Ministry for the Economy held a coordination meeting with all Deputy Ministerial elements along with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and several Ambassadors on Monday, April 15, 2024 in response to developments in the Middle East conflict following Iran’s retaliatory offensive against Israel. 

“This Coordination Meeting is an assessment on efforts to de-escalate the impact of conflicts in the Middle East on the Indonesian economy,” Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Airlangga Hartarto, said. 

Indonesian Ambassador to Jordan, Ade Padmo Sarwono, provided updates on the development in the region and expressed hope that this development would not escalate as it would affect the economies of countries in the region, including Indonesia.

“Various parties are currently trying to contain the escalation of the conflict. Generally, tension in the region is increasing, but so far, it can still be managed,” Ambassador Ade said. 

Indonesian Ambassador to Iran, Ronny P. Yuliantoro, conveyed political development in Iran and anticipated various impacts of the escalating Iran’s attack on Israel. 

“We need to anticipate the impact of tensions in the region and disruptions in logistics and supply chains, given the importance of the position and the Strait of Hormuz route accommodating tens of thousands of ships per year,” Ambassador Ronny said.

Director General of Asia-Pacific and Africa at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abdul Kadir Jailani, emphasized the need to anticipate possible escalation from the current situation in the region. 

Abdul Kadir conveyed that all parties currently do not want escalation, but suggested the necessity of anticipating various possibilities and their economic impacts, considering the importance of the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, as well as the influence on oil prices and logistics costs. 

The escalation of conflict between Iran and Israel over the weekend has affected the global economy, with global crude oil prices still fluctuating. In trading on April 15, 2024, the price of Brent crude oil weakened by 0.18 percent (dtd) to US$90.29 per barrel, significantly higher than the position on January 1, 2024, at US$77.4 per barrel, and the price of WTI crude oil fell by 0.28 percent to US$85.42 per barrel, higher than the position on January 1, 2024, at US$71.65 per barrel. 

This escalation of geopolitical conflict has also caused the US Dollar index to rise, leading to a weakening of financial indicators in several countries, especially emerging markets. Most exchange rates in the Asia-Pacific region have weakened against the US Dollar, on Monday, such as the Thai Baht and the Korean Won which depreciated by 0.24 percent (dtd), and the Malaysian Ringgit by 0.24 percent. 

Most stock exchanges in the Asia-Pacific region also moved into the red zone. At the close of the market on Monda, the FKLCI Malaysia index weakened by 0.55 percent, followed by Kospi at 0.42 percent. For Indonesia, the Indonesia Stock Exchange and the domestic Rupiah spot market are still closed due to the Idul Fitri holiday.

However, based on foreign spot market data (Trading Economics), the exchange rate of the Rupiah is at Rp16,060 or an appreciation of 0.31 percent (dtd), better than other countries such as Korea, the Philippines, and Japan. 

To mitigate the impact of the global rise in oil prices due to the geopolitical conflict between Iran and Israel, the government is also monitoring the condition of the state budget in order to be able to carry out its role optimally as a shock absorber. Further coordination will be carried out with monetary and fiscal authorities to produce a policy mix in maintaining economic growth and stability.

Audina Nur

Journalist

 

Editor

 

Interview

SUBSCRIBE NOW
We will provide you with an invoice for your reimbursable expenses.

Free

New to Indonesian market? Read our free articles before subscribing to the premium plan. If you already run your business in Indonesia, make sure to subscribe to the premium subscription so you won’t miss any intelligence & business opportunities.

Premium

$550 USD/Year

or

$45 USD/Month

Cancelation: you can cancel your subscription at any time, by sending us an email inquiry@ibp-media.com

Add keywords to your market watch and receive notification:
Schedule a free consultation with us:

We’ll contact you for confirmation.

FURTHER READING

Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs, Zulkifli Hasan, says the government is ready to simplify the rules on subsidized fertilizers management upon observing too many regulations governing the distribution and redemption of subsidized fertilizers that complicate farmers.
The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) has announced the need for seven to nine additional biodiesel plants to meet production targets for B50 fuel, a diesel blend containing 50 percent palm oil-derived biodiesel. He highlighted the investment potential for these new facilities, estimating a capital requirement of US$360 million to make B50 a reality.
Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Co. is reportedly pursuing US$2.7 billion (Rp42.3 trillion) in funding from several banks to support its nickel refining and smelting project in Indonesia, developed in collaboration with PT Vale Indonesia and Ford Motor Co.
The ORRUDA 2024 joint exercise between Indonesian and Russian Navies is purely for the development of Indonesian navy profesionalism and does not signal a shift in the Indonesian military stance, an analyst said.
Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Erick Thohir has expressed his support for the establishment of the Daya Anagata Nusantara Investment Management Agency or BPI Danantara, a sovereign wealth fund which is projected to become the new SOEs Superholding.
Legal and business experts have suggested the establishment of legal umbrella for policy executors within the country’s State-owned Enterprises (SOEs) − a paramount backbone behind the government’s ambitious 8-percent economic growth target − in order to help them avoid legal sanctions for taking a wrong direction against or misinterpretating government policies.