Indonesia posts $3.55 billion trade surplus in August

JAKARTA, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Indonesia booked a surprisingly large trade surplus of $3.55 billion in August, official data showed on Thursday, well above the median forecast for a surplus of around $630 million in a Reuters poll.

The August surplus was the widest since September 2025, according to LSEG data.

Exports rose 6.72% on a yearly basis in August to reach $26.61 billion, according to Statistics Indonesia, compared with a 4.3% increase expected in the poll.

Imports rose 19.09% on a yearly basis to $23.06 billion, compared with a 31.14% rise seen in the poll.

Resource-rich Indonesia has benefited from rising prices of some of its top commodity exports this year, with some gains driven by rising global crude prices due to the Middle East conflict. However, as a net oil importer, its import bills have also soared.

Indonesia, the biggest economy in Southeast Asia, is the world's top exporter of coal, palm oil and nickel and a major supplier of tin, copper, aluminium and coffee.