Indonesia trade balance may return to surplus in May

May exports for Southeast Asia's largest economy were seen tumbling 17.98% from a year earlier - the sharpest fall since 2016 - due to reduced trade flows even as some economies of its trading partners started to emerge from lockdowns.

JAKARTA: Indonesia's trade balance likely turned positive in May, with falls in exports and imports probably deepening as the coronavirus pandemic depressed global demand, a Reuters poll showed on Friday.

The median forecast from 14 analysts surveyed by Reuters was for a $420 million surplus in May, compared with April's $350 million deficit. But estimates ranged widely from a deficit of $620 million to a surplus of $1.5 billion.