The end of cheap US cash claims another victim: Indonesia

Más sobre el efecto contagio
TheendofcheapUScashclaimsanothervictim: Indonesia
http://feedly.com/k/140lJaO

In a fashion similar to what became known as the "Asian Contagion" in the late 90s, the current stress in emerging economies has been spreading. One of the nations to experience financial stress recently has been Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest economy. The impact of capital outflows from emerging economies on Indonesia’s financial markets has been swift and severe. Here are the key financial indicators:

1. Indonesia’s equity markets are down 17% in the past 3 months (note that the market peaked in late May, corresponding to thisevent) –

The Jakarta Stock Exchange Composite Index
2. The government bond market (sell-off also started around the same time) –

10yr gov bond yield (source: Investing.com)
3. Currency (the exchange rate went vertical last week) –

Dollar rising against the rupiah (source: Investing.com)
4. Sovereign CDS isn’t very liquid but is still showing signs of financial stress.

The question some are asking is whether this is just a contagion-driven panic or are there fundamental flaws in the economy? Just as the case with India (see post), trade imbalance in Indonesia is behind some of this adjustment. In the past, foreign investment covered up the problem, but the party is now over. Investors – not surprisingly – have become uneasy with the chart below:

A massive structural problem like this is an invitation for a punishment from the markets. Indonesia (just as Brazil and others) is trying to plug the trade gap hole.

NYTimes: – Indonesia announced a package of policy measures on Friday to reduce imports and bolster investment in labor-intensive industries as it struggles to revive confidence and consumer spending in its economy, Southeast Asia’s largest.

The intervention by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono comes after a punishing week for emerging markets, with currencies from Brazil to India hit hard by fears of higher global borrowing costs and areductionincheapcashfromtheUnitedStates.

Indonesia has facedsell-offsintherupiah, stocksandbondsafteranunexpectedlylargesecond-quarterdeficitinitscurrentaccount — a measureofforeigntradeandinvestment — promptedfearsthattheweak global economywouldonlyfurthererodeexportsat a time when a surge ininflationiscrimpingdomesticdemand.

The country’s chief economic minister, Hatta Rajasa, said the government would increase the import tax on luxury cars, seek to reduce oil imports and provide tax incentives for investment in agriculture and in metal industries.

With China being one of the large clients for Indonesia’s natural resources, fixing the trade balance issue is going to be easier said than done. A few tax adjustments are simply not going to do the trick – at least not in the near-term. The nation remains vulnerable to further market pressure.

SoberLook.com

From our sponsor:

www.SoberLook.com

shared via http://feedly.com

Deja una respuesta

Tu dirección de correo electrónico no será publicada. Los campos obligatorios están marcados con *

Este sitio usa Akismet para reducir el spam. Aprende cómo se procesan los datos de tus comentarios.