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Latest Reports Consumer Confidence
In last month’s report we saw that Indonesia’s official economic growth rate was (in line with expectations) quite strong at 5.11 percent year-on-year (y/y) in Q1-2024. Moreover, last month we also saw that most of the macroeconomic data point at the continuation of strong growth in Q2-2024 (with the only major exception being the country’s car sales data that still showed deep red numbers).
In this article we are taking a quick look at various macroeconomic data that help us assess the state of the Indonesian economy in the first quarter of 2024. This update is much more succinct than our normal economic update because we already have one article devoted to the Indonesian economy in this report (zooming in on the Q3-2023 and full-year gross domestic growth data of 2023).
At the annual meeting of Indonesia’s central bank (Bank Indonesia) at the very end of November 2023, Bank Indonesia Governor Perry Warjiyo said the central bank is optimistic about accelerating economic growth in the next two years (2024 – 2025).
As if the external environment wasn’t already challenging enough, a new geopolitical crisis broke out when military organization Hamas attacked Israel in the morning of 7 October 2023 (from the Gaza Strip), killing over 1,400 Israelis while taking hostage more than 200 people.
At the start of June 2022, the World Bank decided to cut its forecast for Indonesia’s economic growth in full-year 2022 from the level of 5.2 percent year-on-year (y/y) to 5.1 percent (y/y). Do we need to be concerned?
Based on the latest survey of Roy Morgan Indonesia, the local unit of global market research firm Roy Morgan Research, Indonesia's consumer confidence fell slightly in August 2017 to a reading of 151.7 points (down 0.4 points from the preceding month, which had been the highest reading in more than two years).
Indonesia improved in the consumer confidence index that is compiled and released by market research agency Nielsen. With 122 points Indonesia was the third-most confident nation in the world (after India and the Philippines) in the 3rd quarter of 2016. Compared to one year ago, Indonesia's score improved six points. Indonesia's consumer confidence has improved each quarter so far in 2016 amid accelerating economic growth, controlled inflation at around 3 percent (y/y), and a stable - or actually stronger - rupiah exchange rate.
According to the latest survey of Indonesia's central bank (Bank Indonesia), consumer confidence in Southeast Asia's largest economy fell 3.3 points to 110 in September 2016 (a reading above 100.0 indicates optimism). Consumer confidence somewhat weakened as the Indonesian people expect upward price pressures at the year-end, specifically rising prices of processed food, beverages, cigarettes, tobacco and groceries. Meanwhile, respondents also expect to put less money in savings in the next six months.
Indonesia's consumer confidence regarding the country's macroeconomic conditions weakened in February 2016. Bank Indonesia's Consumer Confidence Index dropped 2.6 points to 110. The survey indicates that there are two reasons that explain this decline. Firstly, lower optimism about current economic conditions of Indonesia and, secondly, lower optimism regarding job availability over the next six months. Bank Indonesia's monthly survey is based on data provided by 4,600 households in 18 Indonesian cities across the archipelago.
The central bank of Indonesia (Bank Indonesia) reported that Indonesian consumers are becoming increasingly optimistic about economic prospects and their personal financial situation this year, evidenced by a 5.1 point rise in Bank Indonesia's Consumer Confidence Index to 112.6 points in January 2016. This index is based on a survey, involving 4,600 households in 18 cities across the archipelago (a reading above 100 indicates optimism, while a reading below 100 indicates pessimism).
Latest Columns Consumer Confidence
Before we zoom in on Indonesia, it is worth taking a closer look at the latest reports released by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In its World Economic Outlook (released in October 2024), the IMF stated that global economic growth is expected to remain stable, yet underwhelming, at 3.2 percent year-on-year (y/y) in 2024.
As usual, we look at the latest available macroeconomic data of Indonesia to assess the strength of the national economy. Those who follow this monthly article should know that we are quite optimistic about the Indonesian economy as the majority of data are showing positive trends.
The holy Islamic fasting month (Ramadan) and the weeklong celebrations that mark the end of the Ramadan (known as Idul Fitri or Lebaran in Indonesia) is important for the Indonesian economy as it is a period when people consume more than usual.
Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said she expects to see a sharper economic growth rate in the first quarter of 2023 (Q1-2023) than the 5.02 percent year-on-year (y/y) growth that was recorded in the same quarter one year earlier.
Before turning our attention to the economy of Indonesia, it is important to take a closer look at the global economy first. Fortunately, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) just released a new update (called the OECD Economic Outlook, Interim Report September 2022) and so it’s certainly worthwhile to take a look at its conclusions.
What came as a surprise to us is that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) decided to raise its projection for Indonesia’s economic growth in full 2022 from 5.0 percent year-on-year (y/y) to 5.2 percent (y/y) in July 2022. This decision was substantiated in its Asian Development Outlook 2022 Supplement entitled Recovery Faces Diverse Challenges.
There are reasons to be optimistic about Indonesia’s economic activity in the fourth quarter of 2021. Obviously, the underlying reason being that new confirmed COVID-19 infections have not been far from zero in Indonesia throughout the final quarter of the year. As a consequence, the government of Indonesia did not need to impose tough restrictions, hence economic activity is allowed to blossom.
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).
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.
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.
