In today's global economy where managing market information is the key to staying ahead of the competition, Indonesia must firstly identify those sectors in which it has advantages, and then focus on developing them, an expert says. Indonesia must also take cognizance of how the global market is diverging into a number of regional markets, and set up "industrial clusters" to supply appropriate products to each market, says Alain Juillet, an global markets analyst.

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Investment in developing countries, including Indonesia, will continue growing. This opinion was conveyed by Mark Mobius, President of Templeton Emerging Markets Fund Inc. The reason he gave was that the inflation rate was decreasing and already under control. “Developing countries, especially in Asia, have learned from the experience of the crisis in 1997,” he said during the “Global Emerging Market” discussion at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Jakarta.

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: PT Microsoft Indonesia will offer the latest Windows Vista and Microsoft Office software with discounts of up to 80 percent off market prices. This offer will be proposed during the tenders for software procurement that will be held at every regional government. Ari Kunwidodo, PT Microsoft Indonesia’s Vice President, said the offer was in line with Microsoft’s commitment to the government.

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Business groups are urging the government to issue a presidential regulation on modern markets as soon as possible. They said they were convinced that a draft of the regulation had been prepared, but it was yet to be proposed to the Cabinet Secretariat so that it can be legalized by the President soon.

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The Finance Department has stated that Indonesia’s economic growth in the first quarter of 2007 showed satisfying results. According to Anggito Abimanyu, Head of the Fiscal Policy Body, economic growth in the first quarter of 2006 was between 5.7 and 5.9 percent, higher compared to 4.8 percent recorded in the same period last year. In addition, the value of exports ands import grew respectively by 14.8 percent and 11.4 percent.

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - State-owned Bank Mandiri is planning to acquire a multi-finance company or bank with assets reaching a certain minimum amount, the bank`s chief said. "In our revised business plan, we will include a plan to acquire a multi-finance company or bank whose assets reach a certain minimum level," Bank Mandiri President Director Agus D.W.