Corporate Earnings: BRAU vs HRUM

Feb 11, 2012 | Commodities, Industries, News Group

Harum Energy (HRUM) booked net profit of US$125 million in nine months of 2012, inched up from US$124.4 million in the corresponding period of 2011, mostly due to squeezed margins in the third quarter of 2012 related to falling thermal coal prices. How about Berau...

Coal Journal

Feb 10, 2012 | Commodities, Industries, News Group

Berau Coal Energy (BRAU) lost 4.62% Tuesday (Oct 2) despite its claim that ‘no investigation’ being commissioned against the company’s ‘financial irregularities’. The company, like others, has revised down its capital expenditure from...

Palm Oil: How Low? (2)

Feb 10, 2012 | Agriculture, Industries, News Group

Crude palm oil (CPO) has yet to stop falling. On Tuesday (Oct 2), the benchmark December contracts dropped RM209 or about 8.5% to RM2255 per ton on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives. October contracts, meanwhile, tumbled 7% to RM2140 per ton. Hit the bottom already? In this...

Geothermal: More Attractive Tariff, But…

Feb 9, 2012 | Commodities, Industries

Minister of energy and mineral resources Jero Wacik has finally signed regulation No, 22/2012 about new benchmark tariff for power generated by geothermal power plants. The new tariffs are substantially higher at the range of US$10-18.5 cents per kWh. This is a...

Polymers on Roller Coaster Ride

Feb 8, 2012 | Industries

Petrochemicals and polymers have always been riding on the roller coaster, especially when crude oil price is no longer a function of supply & demand, but more as a function of perceptions in supply and demand. Mitsubishi Chemicals, one of the largest polymer...

When Dovechem Divests Indonesian Assets

Feb 7, 2012 | Industries

Dovechem is a group of chemical distribution and related service companies with operations in eight countries and 16 locations in the region. The group is also a major manufacturer of resins, formalin, and moulding compounds in Indonesia. The company operates formalin...

Why Plastics Missed Consumers Boom?

Feb 5, 2012 | Industries

Consumer goods players reported strong performance in the past few years, including in the first quarter of 2012. Cigarette, processed food, shampoos, etc enjoyed strong growth, reflected in strong results of companies like HM Sampoerna, Gudang Garam, Indofood, or...

Revisiting Kutilang Paksi Mas

Feb 5, 2012 | Industries, Mining, News Group

PT Kutilang Paksi Mas is partner of PT Shell Indonesia in the supply of diesel fuel to Grati combined-cycle power plant owned by PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN). The company initially secured a three-year contract in April 2008, but then extended for four more...

Coal Industry: Overcrowded & Underreported

Feb 5, 2012 | Commodities, Industries, News Group

Last year, energy and mineral resources ministry predicted Indonesia’s coal production would grow 1.5% this year to 332 million tons. That equals to an additional output of 5 million tons from its estimated 2011 output. These numbers were clearly way below the...

China Investments in Indonesian Smelters

Feb 5, 2012 | Commodities, Industries, News Group

Pretty much as predicted, Indonesia’s largest bauxite ore exporter PT Cita Mineral Investindo (CITA) Tbk, a company controlled by Lim Haryanto family, has entered into a joint venture agreement with Chinese company for bauxite processing in Indonesia. How about...