Nov. 30 (Bloomberg) -- Indonesia's exports probably rose for a seventhmonth in October, helped by surging oil prices and sales of palm oil,nickel and coal to Japan and China.

Exports may have risen 35.7 percent from a year earlier, slower than the41.4 percent pace in September, according to the median forecast of nineeconomists surveyed by Bloomberg. The Central Statistics Bureau in Jakartais due to trade figures after 1:30 p.m. tomorrow.

Southeast Asia's largest economy is counting on consumer spending and apick-up in exports to help boost growth. President Susilo BambangYudhoyono won elections last month on pledges to spur growth, forecast bythe previous government to reach 4.8 percent this year and 5.4 percentnext year. Exports account for a fifth of the $208 billion economy.

``If you look at the growth statistics, the improvement in exports havefiltered through to growth and domestic demand,'' said Vasan Shridharan, asenior regional economist with HSBC Holdings Plc in Singapore. ``Fixedinvestment spending and private consumption have been strong.''

Indonesia's economic growth accelerated in the third quarter to 5.03percent, with consumer spending rising 5.49 percent and investment, orformation of fixed capital, growing 13 percent in the third quarter from ayear earlier.

The nation's exports will probably rise 10 percent this year and exceedthat pace in 2005, Indonesian Trade Minister Mari Pangestu said yesterday.Overseas sales grew 6.8 percent to $61 billion in 2003 from a yearearlier.

Nickel, Palm Oil

Indonesia may also benefit from demand for commodities from its richerAsian neighbors, including India and China that are the biggest buyers ofIndonesian palm oil.

PT Astra Agro Lestari, Indonesia's biggest publicly traded agriculturalcompany, said palm oil sales rose 37 percent in January to October asexports more than doubled. Indonesia is the world's second-biggestoil-palm grower after Malaysia.

PT International Nickel Indonesia, a unit of Canada's Inco Ltd. that shipsall its products overseas, wants to boost its annual production to 200million pounds a year by 2009. Nickel prices in London gained 16.4 percentin the last six months.

Indonesia is probably benefiting from crude oil's 53 percent surge thisyear, helping boost the value of oil and gas exports, which account forabout a quarter of overseas sales. Crude oil for January delivery fell 8cents to $49.68 a barrel in after-hours electronic trading on the New YorkMercantile Exchange at 11:28 a.m. Sydney time.

Higher prices probably helped overcome a 3 percent drop in oil productionin October from a year earlier, according to Bloomberg data. A lack ofinvestment in new wells to replace depleted ones means Southeast Asia'sbiggest oil and gas producer still imports a fifth of its oil products.

Slower Growth

``Oil prices are a swing factor for Indonesia,'' HSBC's Shridharan said.``Oil prices will stay at an elevated level next year but come off thisyear's highs.''

Asia's export-reliant economies may slow as oil's surge drives up energycosts and curbs demand for electronics, mobile phones and chips. The U.S.economy, the largest overseas market for many Asian nations, grew at a 3.7percent annual pace in the third quarter. Flagging overseas demand causedneighboring Singapore's economy to contract at an annual pace of 2.3percent in the third quarter.

Imports probably rose for a 10th month, gaining 53.6 percent in October,the survey showed. The trade surplus may have narrowed to $2.59 billionfrom $2.92 billion in September.

Another report, to be also published tomorrow, will probably show consumerprices rose 6.1 percent in November, slowing from 6.22 percent in October,according to 10 economists in the Bloomberg survey.

The following table shows the trade surplus in billions of dollars and thepercent changes in exports, imports and consumer prices from a yearearlier:

Surplus Exports Imports CPI

Median 2.59 35.7 53.6 6.1Average 2.7 38.33 53.09 6.17----------------------------------------------------------------Forecasts 9 9 9 10----------------------------------------------------------------Action Economics 2.5 30.0 45.0 6.0Bank Internasional 2.75 40.27 54.93 6.52Capital Economics 5.7Citigroup 2.58 35.7 53.8 6.2DBS Bank Singapore 2.33 31.2 53.6 6.0Danaresksa 3.62 56.71 53.62 6.25G.K. Goh Holdings Ltd. 2.59 35.0 51.4 6.0Mandiri Sekuritas 2.9 47.6 59.5 6.6Thomson IFR 2.1 28.5 57.0 5.6UBS Warburg 2.93 40.0 50.0 6.8

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