JAKARTA: Indonesia reported on Monday a $4.33 billion trade surplus in March, more than expected and the widest in four months as shipments beat estimates and imports were weaker than anticipated.
A Reuters poll of analysts had expected a surplus of $2.64 billion in March. The March surplus was the largest since November 2024, according to LSEG data.
Exports from the resource-rich country have rebounded from lows reached after the end of a commodity boom in 2022, but shipments could soon be affected by dimming global trade outlook due to the US tariff policies.
The United States has announced a 32% tariff on Indonesian products, which has been paused for 90 days.
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Several Indonesian ministers have been in Washington since last week to try to negotiate a deal to avoid the tariff.
Exports rose 3.16% on an annual basis in March to $23.25 billion, official data showed on Monday, compared with a 3.40% fall expected by economists polled by Reuters.
Imports were worth $18.92 billion, the statistics bureau said, up 5.34% on a yearly basis, compared with the poll’s prediction of a 6.6% rise.
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