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Today's Headlines Household Consumption
It was already known that –just like in 2020– the Indonesian government would ban the traditional mudik this year (mudik, which is a distinctive feature of Indonesian culture, refers to the exodus of millions of city-dwellers toward their places of origin where they spend a few days to celebrate the end of the Ramadan month).
Weak demand across Indonesia, a consequence of the COVID-19 crisis, persisted into the second month of 2021 with Indonesia’s consumer price index (CPI) showing a modest inflation rate of 0.10 percent month-on-month (m/m) in February 2021.
On 5 February 2021, Indonesia’s Statistical Agency (Badan Pusat Statistik, or BPS) announced that gross domestic product (GDP) of Southeast Asia’s largest economy contracted 2.19 percent year-on-year (y/y) in the fourth quarter of 2020. This was less severe compared to Indonesia Investments’ outlook of -2.50 percent (y/y).
On Thursday 5 November 2020 Indonesia’s Statistical Agency (Badan Pusat Statistik, BPS) announced that Indonesia’s gross domestic product (GDP) contracted 3.49 percent year-on-year (y/y) in the third quarter of 2020. This pace of economic contraction in Q3-2020 was slightly more severe than we had predicted. Indonesia Investments had its outlook for Indonesia’s Q3-2020 economic growth at the range of -3.0 to -2.5 percent (y/y).
The risky decision of Indonesia’s central government and regional governments to (gradually) ease the various self-imposed social and business restrictions (that had been imposed in April 2020) has caused changes in economic activity in Indonesia, particularly in consumer behavior, starting from June 2020.
For the first time in several years, Indonesia Investments decided that it had to adjust its outlook for Indonesia’s economic growth. Since 2016, Indonesia’s modestly accelerating economic growth rate had been fully in line with our estimates.
In line with our forecast, Indonesia’s economic growth continued to accelerate in 2018. Based on data from Statistics Indonesia (Badan Pusat Statistik, or BPS), which were released in early February 2019, the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 5.17 percent year-on-year (y/y) in full-year 2018, up from a growth rate of 5.07 percent in the preceding year.
A survey of Indonesia's central bank (Bank Indonesia) shows that retail sales have grown strongly in December 2018. The growth pace was recorded at 7.7 percent year-on-year (y/y) in the last month of 2018, strengthening from an annual growth rate of 3.4 percent (y/y) in the preceding month.
Every quarter we are very eager to learn the latest update of the Kontan CEO Confidence Index (KCCI). The KCCI is an index compiled by Kontan, an Indonesian newspaper and magazine that focuses on business and investment (and is part of the Kompas Gramedia Group). Each quarter, 30 chief executive officers (CEOs) of big Indonesian companies – covering a range of sectors - are surveyed. Their feedback is important because these CEOs are decision-makers in influential companies.
Indonesia's Statistics Agency (BPS) announced that gross domestic product (GDP) of Indonesia expanded 5.06 percent year-on-year (y/y) in the first quarter of 2018. This figure is in line with our expectations. Over the past two years it had already become clear that the acceleration of economic growth in Indonesia goes at a very slow pace, a trend that can primarily be attributed to subdued household consumption.
Latest Columns Household Consumption
There are signs that household consumption in Indonesia is rebounding ahead of this year's Idul Fitri holiday. This would be a great boost for Indonesia's overall economic growth as private consumption accounts for around 57 percent of the nation's total economic growth. One of the reasons why Indonesia's gross domestic product (GDP) growth has been stuck around the 5 percent (y/y) mark in recent years is subdued household consumption (which has fallen slightly below the 5 percent y/y mark).
In full-year 2017 the Indonesian economy expanded 5.07 percent year-on-year (y/y). Indonesia's Statistics Agency (BPS) announced on Monday morning (05/02) that the nation's gross domestic product (GDP) growth reached 5.19 percent (y/y) in the fourth quarter of 2017. These figures show a mixed picture.
Household consumption in Indonesia is expected to improve in 2018. This assumption is based on a number of indicators that show a positive trend. For example, consumer confidence in Indonesia rose to 126.4 points in December 2017. The country's macroeconomic picture is also strengthening with accelerating economic growth, low inflation and a stable (or actually appreciating) rupiah rate.
Within Indonesia it is still being debated whether consumers' purchasing power has really weakened in the third quarter. Some argue consumers are currently focused on saving their money rather than spending it (this explains rising third-party funds in Indonesia's banking system). Others argue that Indonesia's household consumption data are distorted because this year's Ramadan and Idul Fitri celebrations fell in the second quarter of the year (whereas in 2016 these celebrations fell in Q3).
The central bank of Indonesia (Bank Indonesia) revised down its projection for Indonesia's economic growth in 2016 to the range of 5.0 - 5.4 percent (y/y), slightly below its previous forecast in the range of 5.2 - 5.6 percent (y/y). Bank Indonesia Governor Agus Martowardojo said the central bank decided to trim its projection for gross domestic product (GDP) growth this year due to sluggish global economic growth, low commodity prices, and Indonesia's slightly disappointing Q1-2016 GDP growth figure at 4.92 percent (y/y).
Cosmetics and household goods producer Kino Indonesia, which conducted an initial public offering (IPO) on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in late-2015, is expected to post good net profit growth in 2016. Last year the company's net profit surged a whopping 153 percent (y/y) to IDR 263 billion (approx. USD $20 million) due to higher selling prices and lower production costs. In 2016 Kino Indonesia's net profit is expected to grow 44 percent (y/y) to IDR 378 billion. Therefore Indopremier Securities advises investors to buy Kino Indonesia's shares.
The decision of Indonesia's central bank (Bank Indonesia), last week, to cut its key interest rate (BI rate) by 0.25 percent to 7.00 percent and to cut the reserve-requirement ratio for commercial banks' rupiah deposits by 1 percent to 6.5 percent is a decision that should boost household consumption in Indonesia in 2016, improve people's purchasing power, give rise to a stronger automotive and property sector, and boost liquidity at local banks (hence providing room for an acceleration of credit growth in Southeast Asia's largest economy).
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.
The Indonesian economy, from the expenditure side, is highly dominated by domestic demand. From Q1-2010 to Q1-2015, the average role of domestic demand reached 99.5 percent, with the lowest level at 96.8 percent. The positive side of this situation is that the Indonesian economy is relatively resilient to external factors. History shows that despite the US subprime mortgage crisis and financial crisis in Europe, economic growth in Indonesia remained relatively high and consistent compared to other countries.
In his presentation at the Indonesia Investment Summit 2015, organized in Jakarta on 15-16 January, Standard Chartered Bank Senior Economist Fauzi Ichsan said that despite the challenges amid global uncertain times, there remains plenty room and opportunity for Indonesia to grow robustly on the long-term. In fact, by 2030 Ichsan believes that Indonesia will be among the world's top ten countries in terms of largest economies. For investors it is important to understand the challenges and key pillars of economic growth.
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