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21 April 2025 (closed)
Jakarta Composite Index (6,445.97) +7.70 +0.12%
Below is a list with tagged columns and company profiles.
Latest Reports GDP
The long Idul Fitri holiday (that ends on 7 April 2025) somewhat disrupts our access to Indonesia’s macroeconomic data as much of the private and public sector is closed during this holiday (hence do not release any data during this period).
On Tuesday (18 March 2025), the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) decided to temporarily suspend trading as the benchmark Jakarta Composite Index (IHSG) plunged 5 percent. Such trading halts target at stabilizing Indonesia's capital markets (as the rupiah was also dragged down by the capital outflows).
On 5 February 2025, the Statistical Agency of Indonesia (Badan Pusat Statistik, BPS) announced that Indonesia’s gross domestic product (GDP) was recorded at a growth rate of 5.03 percent year-on-year (y/y) in 2024. In another article in this month’s edition, we devote an analysis concerning Indonesia’s 2024 GDP growth.
On Wednesday 05 March 2025, Indonesia Investments released the February 2025 edition of its monthly report. The report discusses a range of national and international topics that impacted on Indonesia in the month of February 2025.
On Tuesday 4 February 2025, Indonesia Investments released the January 2025 edition of its monthly report. This report discusses key political, economic and social developments that unfolded in Indonesia in the month of January 2025.
On Friday 03 January 2025, Indonesia Investments released the December 2024 edition of its monthly report. The report presents a selection of subjects (related to the economy and politics of Indonesia) that were relevant in December 2024.
Albeit still at an admirable level, Indonesia’s economic growth rate fell slightly short of expectations in the third quarter of 2024 (Q3-2024). Based on the data released by Indonesia’s Statistical Agency (Badan Pusat Statistik, BPS) on 5 November 2024, Indonesia’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 4.95 percent year-on-year (y/y) in Q3-2024.
On Tuesday 05 November 2024 Indonesia Investments released the October 2024 edition of its monthly report, titled: "Eight President of Indonesia Enters Office – the Transition in Focus". It presents analyses of political, economic and social matters that were relevant in Indonesian society in October 2024.
The middle class plays an important role in the economic development of Indonesia. Typically, nations with large middles class grow faster for a combination of reasons. And so, if Indonesia wants to achieve its ambition of becoming a developed country by 2045, then a significant percentage of its population (preferably over 70 percent) needs to join the middle class in the next two decades.
On Friday 4 October 2024 Indonesia Investments released the September 2024 edition of its monthly report. The report discusses a range of economic, political and social topics to assess the state of the Indonesian economy.
Latest Columns GDP
When we look at all of the activity in financial markets this year, some interesting trends have started to emerge for those looking to invest in Asia. Stock markets in Indonesia have shown strong rallies, and have started to reverse many of the multi-year declines that have been characterizing the region. This inspired a great deal of attention for Indonesia’s stock benchmarks, as it is looking increasingly likely that improvements in the underlying economic data will continue bringing in buyers for these markets.
The Indonesian economy expanded 5.04 percent year-on-year (y/y) in the fourth quarter of 2015, slightly beating analyst expectations and constituting the highest quarterly growth pace since Q1-2014 thus providing optimism that Indonesia's economic growth will finally be able to accelerate in 2016 after six years of economic slowdown (therefore Indonesia's benchmark Jakarta Composite Index surged a staggering 2.85 percent on Friday). In full-year 2015 the economy of Indonesia expanded 4.79 percent (y/y), the slowest growth pace since 2009.
Tomorrow (05/02), Statistics Indonesia is scheduled to release Indonesia's official full-year 2015 economic growth figure. Nearly all analysts expect to see a figure that reflects the continuation of slowing economic growth. Southeast Asia's largest economy expanded 5.0 percent in 2014 and this is expected to have eased further to 4.7 percent or 4.8 percent in 2015 on the back of (interrelated) sluggish global growth, low commodity prices, and weak export performance. Domestically, Indonesia has or had to cope with high interest rates and inflation (hence curtailing people's purchasing power and consumption as well as business expansion).
While Indonesia is currently in the middle of expanding its 4G network, the nation remains placed among the countries that have the poorest Internet penetration rate in the world. A recent World Bank report, titled 'World Development Report 2016: Digital Dividends', zooms in on the economic and social impact that occurs when a relative large part of the population cannot be connected to the Internet or when the government fails to keep pace with the growth of technology.
Consumer goods producer Unilever Indonesia, one of Indonesia's leading consumer goods firms, is expected to show better corporate earnings in 2016 compared to the preceding years on improving purchasing power of Indonesia's population. The company's net profit is estimated to grow by 15 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in the coming two years, while its EBIT margin is expected to remain above 23 percent as higher costs of raw materials are compensated by higher selling prices.
Both car sales and motorcycle sales declined in 2015 in Indonesia. Primary reason for this decline was people's weaker purchasing power amid the slowing economy and persistently low commodity prices. Indonesia's GDP growth is estimated to have fallen to 4.7 percent year-on-year (y/y), the slowest growth pace since 2009. Meanwhile, amid the sluggish global economy (especially China's slowdown) and falling oil prices, Indonesia gains relatively little from its commodity exports.
The performance of Astra International, one of Indonesia's leading diversified conglomerates (but particularly known for being the dominant force in the country's automotive industry), is expected to improve next year on the arrival of new car models, estimated accelerated economic growth and its rivals' stagnating production capacity expansion. As such, Astra International should be able to increase its market share and feel less need to offer its cars to customers at discounted rates.
Ace Hardware Indonesia, one of Indonesia's leading retail companies that is engaged in the markets of home improvement and lifestyle products, is expected to show modest (single-digit) growth in 2016. Same store sales growth is estimated to grow in the range of 8-10 percent year-on-year (y/y). This modest performance is caused by weak purchasing power in Indonesia amid sluggish economic growth and due to the fragile rupiah (against the US dollar).
Today, the World Bank released the latest edition of its flagship publication Indonesia Economic Quarterly, entitled "Reforming amid Uncertainty". In this edition the Washington-based institution states that global conditions remain unfavorable despite financial markets having stabilized since October. Meanwhile, the country was negatively affected by severe man-made forest fires and toxic haze which cost Indonesia an estimated IDR 221 trillion (USD $16 billion or 1.9 percent of the country's gross domestic product) in five months.
An Indonesian analyst says the Indonesian government needs to increase efforts to boost people's purchasing power in order to achieve the government's economic growth target of 5.3 percent in 2016. Household consumption in Indonesia accounts for about 55 percent of the nation's total gross domestic product (GDP) growth. As such, if purchasing power continues to weaken, then the economic slowdown returns. The analyst suggests the government should consider to cut personal and corporate income taxes, delay the electricity tariff hike for 900 VA households, and lower fuel prices.
