Indonesia’s exports rose by the most in a year, beating expectations for a decline, as metal and electrical goods bolstered the nation’s trade.
May exports climbed 2.86% from a year ago, the highest increase since February last year, according to data from the statistics office. That compared with a 0.1% drop estimated by analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.
The rise in exports widened Indonesia’s trade surplus to $2.93 billion in May, as imports slid 8.8% from a year ago following seasonally large purchases for Eid festivities in April.
That surplus may ease pressure on Bank Indonesia before it decides on monetary policy on Thursday. The rupiah rebounded from a four-year-low to strengthen 0.2% to 16,365 against the dollar on Wednesday.