Indonesia's 3.02 percent (y/y) inflation figure in full-year 2016 is a comfortable one that shows food prices and administered prices have been relatively stable over the past 12 months. However, low inflation could also be a sign that people's purchasing power has weakened. In December inflation only rose 0.42 percent (m/m), a very low figure considering consumers are traditionally shopping ahead of - and amid - Christmas and New Year celebrations. Therefore, Indonesian inflation tends to show a peak in the December-January period (and there occurs another peak in the June-August period due to Ramadan, Idul Fitri celebrations and the start of the new school year).

However, Indonesia's gross domestic product is expected to accelerate in 2016 after a five-year slowdown. This should manage to boost purchasing power in Indonesia.

Indonesia's core inflation, which excludes administered and volatile food prices, remained at 3.07 percent (y/y) in December 2016, unchanged from the preceding month.

Several advanced economies, such as the USA, European Union and Japan, have been injecting a lot of stimulus in domestic economies to boost inflation. For Indonesia, however, a 3 percent (y/y) pace is very mild.

Inflation in Indonesia:

Month  Monthly Growth
          2013
 Monthly Growth
          2014
 Monthly Growth
          2015
 Monthly Growth
          2016
January          1.03%          1.07%         -0.24%          0.51%
February          0.75%          0.26%         -0.36%         -0.09%
March          0.63%          0.08%          0.17%          0.19%
April         -0.10%         -0.02%          0.36%         -0.45%
May         -0.03%          0.16%          0.50%          0.24%
June          1.03%          0.43%          0.54%          0.66%
July          3.29%          0.93%          0.93%          0.69%
August          1.12%          0.47%          0.39%         -0.02%
September         -0.35%          0.27%         -0.05%          0.22%
October          0.09%          0.47%         -0.08%          0.14%
November          0.12%          1.50%          0.21%          0.47%
December          0.55%          2.46%          0.96%          0.42%
Total          8.38%          8.36%          3.35%
         3.02%

Source: Statistics Indonesia (BPS)

Inflation in Indonesia and Central Bank (BI) Target 2008-2016:

  2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Inflation
(annual % change)
 9.8  4.8  5.1  5.4  4.3  8.4  8.4  3.4  3.0
BI Target
(annual % change)
 5.0  4.5  5.0  5.0  4.5  4.5  4.5  4.0  4.0

Source: Bank Indonesia

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