The Democrats’ flipping of Congress could increase pressure on the White House, but Trump retains broad authority over trade and foreign policy, leaving Indonesia and other exporters exposed to protectionist US import tariffs.  

Finance Minister Suahasil Nazara emphasized the need to grow investment by 7 percent to help reach the country’s gross domestic product target. 

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer urged Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in a call to implement terms of the pact agreed in Busan, South Korea, in October 2025.

The official unemployment figure has increased this year and the amount of workers informally employed has been sustained at about the same level, which reflects a trend that Indonesia should reverse soon to avoid getting caught in the middle income trap.

Industry Minister Muhammad Sarmuji said the government was examining the factors behind the slowdown and exploring possible solutions.

Annual growth in outstanding loan at peer-to-peer lending firms also slowed to 17.02 percent in September from 22.07 percent in August.  

An improved trade balance has helped Indonesia achieve strong gross domestic product growth in the third quarter, even as consumer spending and business investment slowed down from the preceding three months.

Household expenditure, the largest contributor to the growth, climbed five percent on-year, while investment jumped 6.1 percent.

Democrats' resounding sweep to a majority in Congress gives them a big microphone and spotlight to scrutinize President Donald Trump's trade policies, but largely leaves them unable to override his veto on any vote to overturn his tariffs or rescind trade authorities, trade and legal experts said on Wednesday.

Foreign investors stepped up their selling on Tuesday as news of the wiretapping case began circulating, recording net sales of Rp 575 billion (US$31.7 million) as the IDX Composite Index tumbled 3.78 percent.  

Finance Minister Suahasil Nazara has projected that this year’s gross domestic product growth will touch 5.4 to 5.5 percent, in line with the state budget plan.

Investors faced the potential for tougher regulation and oversight in areas such as AI as well as for legislative gridlock that could complicate the fiscal picture, as Democrats gained ground in the battle to wrest control of Congress from the Republicans.

According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), smallholders tend 99.6 percent of its cocoa area, 98.6 percent of its coffee, 91.3 percent of its rubber and 43.9 percent of its oil palm, and most of this land is yet to be registered.

October’s volatile food inflation stood at 5.81 percent, continuing an upward trend that began in July.

September's narrow trade surplus, which included an energy deficit of $2.31 billion due to a 37 percent jump in refined petroleum products, may shrink further on an anticipated rise in energy demand toward the year-end.

Despite stronger production, employment increased only marginally in October, according to the S&P Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), with job creation slowing from September.

South Korea will double spending on AI and semiconductors in 2027 to a record high, the president said Monday, pledging to use the technology to turn the military into a "smart, elite force".

President Prabowo Subianto has asked the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) to become the government’s strategic partner, putting pressure on the organization to contribute more to national economic development.

WTO reform remained a priority despite related talks moving “much more slowly than we'd like”, WTO chief Okonjo-Iweala told reporters on Tuesday.

China's factory activity slipped back into contraction territory in October, official data showed Saturday, despite sustained growth in high-tech industries, as the market for consumer goods weakened.

Kadin advisory board chairman Hashim Djojohadikusumo, who is also President Prabowo Subianto's younger brother, said Indonesia's state revenue amounted to just 12 percent of GDP, compared with 18 percent in Cambodia and 23 percent in Vietnam.

The Bank of Japan said Friday inflation had hit its two percent target, more than 13 years after it adopted the goal in a bid to pull the economy out of deflation.

A research from Indef revealed that around 80 percent of MSMEs had yet to identify new business opportunities from the free meal program.

Following a working visit to Seoul, BP Batam deputy for investment Fary Djemy Francis celebrated Batam’s achievements and pondered on the constant work to improve the island for its residents.

Previously, Coordinating Downstream and Energy Transition Minister Bahlil Lahadalia claimed that Indonesia no longer bought crude oil from the Middle East and was diversifying its sources to other countries, including India and China.

As prices climb, families are switching to cheaper food, personal care products and health services, while cutting back on savings and leisure.

Higher-than-expected demand for subsidized gasoline is expected to add tens of trillions of rupiah to the state budget as the government looks to increase imports at a time of high global oil prices.