Historically, Germany and China have depended on exports to lead growth. With the US unwilling to play the role of consumer of last resort and being determined to limit its current account deficit, this avenue is not available anymore. In the absence of a rethink by German policy makers as to how to make German growth more self -sustaining a deflationary feedback loop is developing between the EU and China.
This week’s offering of Insights across ASEAN@Smartkarmais filled with another eclectic mix of differentiated, substantive and actionable insights from across South East Asia and includes macro, top-down and thematic pieces, as well as actionable equity bottom-up pieces. Please find a brief summary below, with a fuller write up in the detailed section.
Smartkarma supports the world’s leading investors with high-quality, timely, and actionable Insights. Subscribe now for unlimited access, or request a demo below.
This week’s offering of Insights across ASEAN@Smartkarmais filled with another eclectic mix of differentiated, substantive and actionable insights from across South East Asia and includes macro, top-down and thematic pieces, as well as actionable equity bottom-up pieces. Please find a brief summary below, with a fuller write up in the detailed section.
Smartkarma supports the world’s leading investors with high-quality, timely, and actionable Insights. Subscribe now for unlimited access, or request a demo below.
In this series under Smartkarma Originals, CrossASEAN insight providers AngusMackintosh and Jessica Irene seek to determine whether or not we are close to the end of the rainbow and to a period of outperformance for the property sector. Our end conclusions will be based on a series of company visits to the major listed property companies in Indonesia, conversations with local banks, property agents, and other relevant channel checks.
The sixth company that we explore is Intiland Development (DILD IJ), a property developer that focuses on landed residential, industrial estates, high-end condominiums, and offices in Jakarta and Surabaya. DILD has a good track record in building and operating high-end condominiums and offices. But the property market slowdown, tighter mortgage regulations, and rising construction costs took a massive toll on the company’s balance sheet and margin.
DILD shows the worst operating cashflow performance versus peers. The operating cashflow is running at a massive deficit after the property market peak in 2013, driven mostly by worsening working capital cycle. Both consolidated gross margin and EBIT margin are also trending down over the past five years, showing the company’s inability to pass on costs. The biggest margin decline is visible in the offices, landed residential, and condominiums.
The total net asset value (NAV) for company’s landbank and investment properties is about IDR10.5tn, equivalent to IDR1,018 NAV per share. Despite an attractive Price-to-Book (PB) valuation and a chunky 65% discount to NAV, DILD still looks expensive on a Price-to-Earnings (PE) basis. Analysts have been downgrading earnings on lower margin expectation and weaker than expected cashflow generation that cause debt levels to remain high.
Consensus expects 16% EPS growth this year with revenues growing by 22%. We may see further downgrades post FY18 results as 9M18 EBIT only makes up 51% of consensus FY18 forecast. The government’s plan to reduce luxury taxes and allowing foreigners to hold strata title on Indonesian properties should bode well for DILD and serve as a potential catalyst in the short term. Our estimated fair value for DILD is at IDR 404 per share, suggesting 14% upside from the current levels.
China’s current efforts to gain prominence in the semiconductor market targets memory chips – large commodities. This three-part series of insights examines how China determined its strategy and explains which companies are the most threatened by it.
In the first part of this series we will see what motivated China to enter the market and how it plans to do so.
This week’s offering of Insights across ASEAN@Smartkarmais filled with another eclectic mix of differentiated, substantive and actionable insights from across South East Asia and includes macro, top-down and thematic pieces, as well as actionable equity bottom-up pieces. Please find a brief summary below, with a fuller write up in the detailed section.
The highlights of this week are comments on the Thai elections with differing perspectives from CrossASEAN Economist Prasenjit K. Basu, Thailand based Athaporn Arayasantiparb, CFA, and Dr Jim Walker. Dr Jim Walker also gives us his views on the key beneficiaries and the ongoing US-China trade dispute and singles out Indonesia and Vietnam. On this theme, Kevin O’Rourke highlights a potentially significant announcement of a US$400m investment in Kendal, Central Java by a Chinese Textile company of its intention to relocate a shirt manufacturing facility there from China. Kawasan Industri Jababeka (KIJA IJ) and Sembcorp Industries (SCI SP) have a JV industrial estate there, which stands potentially to benefit should this move should it transpire. More importantly, it could signal the start of a more promising future for Indonesia’s manufacturing sector.
In Vietnam Picks up the China Baton, Dr. Jim Walker lays out his thoughts on which countries are set to benefit the most from the ongoing trade dispute between the US and China. Indonesia and Vietnam would seem to be the most obvious beneficiaries.
The rapidly improving outlook in the LNG industry over the last few years, reinforced towards the end of 2017 by the unexpected growth of demand from China, has set off a proliferation of new LNG projects especially from the US (Exhibit 1).
In its latest LNG Outlook report, Royal Dutch Shell (RDSA LN) is projecting from 2023 onwards a significant gap between the future LNG demand and the existing supply including the capacity under construction that could require up to 100mtpa of new LNG project sanctions by 2023.
The race to gain market share in the projected LNG demand-supply gap has produced an aggregated capacity of proposed new projects of up to 475mtpa, a number larger than the total LNG traded volume in 2018 of 319mtpa and way above the capacity required to meet the future growth in LNG demand.
Exhibit 1: Funnel of proposed LNG projects getting bigger
Source: Energy Market Square, interpretation of data from Shell LNG Outlook 2019, public filings. Higher probability rating depending on oil majors backing, level of offtake agreements, positive news flow catalysts (e.g. regulatory approval, equity financing, EPC agreements). Demand projection assumes 90% capacity utilization. Bubble size proportional to project capacity. The position of the bubbles within the probability ranges is random.
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Five interesting trends/developments that could impact Thai equities in the recent period:
Legalization of medicinal marijuana. Thailand legalized medicinal use of marijuana at end of February and has already received immense interest from potential growers. At some point, pharma and healthcare companies could be beneficiaries of this trend.
Rumbles in the airline industry. Asia Aviation (AAV TB) , parent company of Thai Air Asia, acquires a stake in competitor Nok Air. This is one of the few signs of industry consolidation in this sector.
MOU signed between TMB and Thanachart. The deal may take longer than initially expected, but the two sides have agreed on some basics such as 70% equity financing and deal size of roughly Bt130-140bn.
Read-through from US Election 2020. Some of the Democrat policies advocated by candidates in 2020 could turn out to be positive for Asian equities.
BGrimm acquires Glow SPP1 for a bargain price of Bt3.3bn, or 55% of the expected price, opening the way for the GPSC-Glow merger, potentially the largest deal of 2019.
Last Friday, Sea Ltd (SE US) unveiled plans to raise around $1 billion (based on the closing price on 28 February) through an underwritten public offering of 50 million ADS. The fundraising was inevitable due to the high cash burn and net cash position.
We are positive on Sea as digital entertainment (Garena), the cash cow, remains in rude health and its newer e-commerce business (Shopee) is a market leader, rapidly growing and reducing its losses. Overall, we would participate in the public offering at or below the last close price of $23.
Historically, Germany and China have depended on exports to lead growth. With the US unwilling to play the role of consumer of last resort and being determined to limit its current account deficit, this avenue is not available anymore. In the absence of a rethink by German policy makers as to how to make German growth more self -sustaining a deflationary feedback loop is developing between the EU and China.
This week’s offering of Insights across ASEAN@Smartkarmais filled with another eclectic mix of differentiated, substantive and actionable insights from across South East Asia and includes macro, top-down and thematic pieces, as well as actionable equity bottom-up pieces. Please find a brief summary below, with a fuller write up in the detailed section.
Smartkarma supports the world’s leading investors with high-quality, timely, and actionable Insights. Subscribe now for unlimited access, or request a demo below.
This week’s offering of Insights across ASEAN@Smartkarmais filled with another eclectic mix of differentiated, substantive and actionable insights from across South East Asia and includes macro, top-down and thematic pieces, as well as actionable equity bottom-up pieces. Please find a brief summary below, with a fuller write up in the detailed section.
The highlights of this week are comments on the Thai elections with differing perspectives from CrossASEAN Economist Prasenjit K. Basu, Thailand based Athaporn Arayasantiparb, CFA, and Dr Jim Walker. Dr Jim Walker also gives us his views on the key beneficiaries and the ongoing US-China trade dispute and singles out Indonesia and Vietnam. On this theme, Kevin O’Rourke highlights a potentially significant announcement of a US$400m investment in Kendal, Central Java by a Chinese Textile company of its intention to relocate a shirt manufacturing facility there from China. Kawasan Industri Jababeka (KIJA IJ) and Sembcorp Industries (SCI SP) have a JV industrial estate there, which stands potentially to benefit should this move should it transpire. More importantly, it could signal the start of a more promising future for Indonesia’s manufacturing sector.
In Vietnam Picks up the China Baton, Dr. Jim Walker lays out his thoughts on which countries are set to benefit the most from the ongoing trade dispute between the US and China. Indonesia and Vietnam would seem to be the most obvious beneficiaries.
The rapidly improving outlook in the LNG industry over the last few years, reinforced towards the end of 2017 by the unexpected growth of demand from China, has set off a proliferation of new LNG projects especially from the US (Exhibit 1).
In its latest LNG Outlook report, Royal Dutch Shell (RDSA LN) is projecting from 2023 onwards a significant gap between the future LNG demand and the existing supply including the capacity under construction that could require up to 100mtpa of new LNG project sanctions by 2023.
The race to gain market share in the projected LNG demand-supply gap has produced an aggregated capacity of proposed new projects of up to 475mtpa, a number larger than the total LNG traded volume in 2018 of 319mtpa and way above the capacity required to meet the future growth in LNG demand.
Exhibit 1: Funnel of proposed LNG projects getting bigger
Source: Energy Market Square, interpretation of data from Shell LNG Outlook 2019, public filings. Higher probability rating depending on oil majors backing, level of offtake agreements, positive news flow catalysts (e.g. regulatory approval, equity financing, EPC agreements). Demand projection assumes 90% capacity utilization. Bubble size proportional to project capacity. The position of the bubbles within the probability ranges is random.
Two new and credible polls show Widodo leading by margins of 18-19 percentage points over Prabowo. This mitigates — but does not entirely eliminate — risks surrounding the 17 April election outlook. Polls show PDI-P and Gerindra gaining at the expense of Islamic parties. The 4th debate on 30 March could help Prabowo draw slightly closer. The planned US$400 million relocation of a textile plant from China to Central Java bodes well, but whether central government policies are supportive remains to be seen. Two SOEs are under corruption scrutiny: Krakatau Steel Persero Tbk (KRAS IJ) and Pupuk Indonesia. A reasonable MRT tariff is in place.
Politics: Coordinating Security Minister Wiranto threatened to invoke the Terrorism Law on those who advocate abstaining on election day. He may believe that high turnout will benefit President Joko Widodo – but the draconian threat will harm Widodo’s image more than it helps (Page 2). The next presidential debate on 30 March will likely feature discussion of Widodo’s proposal to place active military officers in civilian bureaucratic posts (Page 2). Vice‑presidential nominee Sandiaga Uno promised fisheries operators that he and Prabowo Subianto would overturn a ban on dragnet trawling (p. 4). Constitutional Court justices will prioritize the resolution of legislative election disputes (p. 5).
Surveys: With less than three weeks remaining until the 17 April election day, two more new polls show the lead for President Joko Widodo remains intact. A poll by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) took place from 15-22 March; it shows Widodo ahead by 18 percentage points, with 15 percent undecided. Similarly, a poll by Charta Politik showed Widodo leading by 19 points; it also implies that Islamic and Islamic‑oriented parties will shrink by a third on aggregate. Both polls indicate that the reform‑minded Solidarity Party (PSI) is unlikely to pass the four‑percent threshold required to occupy parliamentary seats; incumbent parties at risk of falling short are Hanura, the National Mandate Party (Pan) and the United Development Party (PPP) (p. 6).
Justice: Investigators from the Anti-Corruption Commission (KPK) made arrests in cases involving the state enterprises PT Krakatau Steel Tbk and PT Pupuk (p. 10).
Jakarta: Policymakers finally decided upon a reasonable tariff for the new Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) – Rp10,000 per 10 kilometers, with a maximum fare of Rp14,000 (p. 11).
Reformasi Weekly Review provides timely, relevant and independent analysis on Indonesian political and policy news.
Delivered electronically every Friday, Reformasi Weekly is written by Kevin O’Rourke, author of the book Reformasi.
Reformasi Weekly is a product of PT Reformasi Info Sastra.
Economics: Plans to relocate a sizeable Chinese textile plant in Central Java send a positive signal about manufacturing – but whether central‑government policies will be adequately supportive remains to be seen (p. 12).
Outlook: Plentiful poll data shows that Widodo has a comfortable margin of 55‑60 percent, with few factors likely to alter circumstances in the final three weeks. But his opponent is brazen and risks therefore exist. Widodo winning by only a very narrow margin is a scenario with a low probability – but a high potential impact. Prabowo has a penchant for protesting angrily, hard‑line supporters can inundate Jakarta and the Constitutional Court has a protracted schedule for resolving disputes (its deadline is 8 August) (p. 14).
The US-China trade dispute simmers on. Regardless of the outcome of talks between the two largest economies on earth, the damage to the existing world manufacturing trading order has already been done. China plus one is no longer a preferential industrial location strategy for multinational companies, it is an imperative. Like Brexit, companies are beginning to relocate out of China even before the dispute is either settled or escalated. Profits can’t wait for governments to behave sensibly.
But where to go? Indonesia and Vietnam are the most obvious potential beneficiaries of the fallout from the ongoing trade dispute between the US and China. There are a number of alternatives but Indonesia and Vietnam both have large, youthful working populations (and really here we are talking about the accessible workforces on Java and in Vietnam) and both are located within easy reach of the existing Asian supply chain. But are both equally ready and equally keen to pick up the China baton? Vietnam is the obvious winner in this contest. Unfortunately, for institutional equity investors the market isn’t included in Asia-Pacific or emerging market benchmarks.
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Last Friday, Sea Ltd (SE US) unveiled plans to raise around $1 billion (based on the closing price on 28 February) through an underwritten public offering of 50 million ADS. The fundraising was inevitable due to the high cash burn and net cash position.
We are positive on Sea as digital entertainment (Garena), the cash cow, remains in rude health and its newer e-commerce business (Shopee) is a market leader, rapidly growing and reducing its losses. Overall, we would participate in the public offering at or below the last close price of $23.
Historically, Germany and China have depended on exports to lead growth. With the US unwilling to play the role of consumer of last resort and being determined to limit its current account deficit, this avenue is not available anymore. In the absence of a rethink by German policy makers as to how to make German growth more self -sustaining a deflationary feedback loop is developing between the EU and China.
This week’s offering of Insights across ASEAN@Smartkarmais filled with another eclectic mix of differentiated, substantive and actionable insights from across South East Asia and includes macro, top-down and thematic pieces, as well as actionable equity bottom-up pieces. Please find a brief summary below, with a fuller write up in the detailed section.
A visit in Jakarta to the Blue Bird (BIRD IJ) office was well-timed as the company is close to the conclusion of two corporate actions, as well as an interesting extension to its relationship with Go-Jek Indonesia (1379371D IJ).
Both acquisitions are synergistic with its existing business and represent long-term opportunities rather than an immediate significant boost to earnings.
The company’s underlying fundamentals continue to improve with fleet utilisation up versus last year in 4Q18, as was the average revenue per taxi.
The company continues to see the benefits of its tie-up with Go-Jek, which will soon morph into something even more significant.
Blue Bird (BIRD IJ) remains an interesting way to play the rising levels of affluence amongst the rising middle classes in Indonesia. the company is close to completing two corporate actions including a new venture into the car auction business with Mitsubishi UFJ and the acquisition of an intercity bus company. It is also close to signing an extension and expansion of its relationship with Go-Jek, which will help to cement its position in the online ride-hailing space. Underlying fundamentals continue to improve both in terms of fleet utilisation and average revenue per taxi. According to Capital IQ consensus, the company trades on 14.9x FY19E PER and 13.7x FY20E PER, with forecast EPS growth of +16.2% and +8.9% for FY19E and FY20E respectively. The near-term completion of two corporate actions and an extension of its agreement with Go-Jek Indonesia (1379371D IJ) should provide positive catalysts for the share price coupled with improving ridership, average revenue per taxi, and fleet utilisation.
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A meeting Surya Citra Media Pt Tbk (SCMA IJ) in Jakarta found management in a relatively ebullient mood. The share price performance has been slightly perplexing the fact that its digital strategy is close to coming to fruition, with upcoming acquisitions representing a positive catalyst.
The company will move forward on acquiring controlling stakes in digital streaming player www.vidio.com, internet company www.kapanlagi.com, and out of home media advertising player EYE Indonesia.
Total revenues from the digital and non-TV space will grow from less than 5% of SCMA’s total revenue to nearly 20% of the total, making it the biggest player in both free-to-air and a major player in digital adverting in Indonesia.
Vidio.com is especially interesting given how fragmented that market is currently. Iy=t already has 22m active users viewing its sport and local content but is looking to bring in a major global player to help finance original content and bring in more international content.
Internet companies represent the biggest and fastest growing advertising customers outside FMCG. They are increasingly paying above market rates for up to two-hour exclusive slots on prime time, where they air their own programming which allows them to engage with the audience.
The recent Kraft Heinz Co (KHC US) debacle may signal the end of zero-based budgeting, which may mean global players such as Unilever Indonesia (UNVR IJ) start to spend more on advertising. in the meantime, local FMCG players remain more aggressive on advertising their products on TV.
Surya Citra Media Pt Tbk (SCMA IJ) remains the best quality proxy to the advertising market in Indonesia. The upcoming acquisitions in the digital space represent strong potential catalysts for the stock, which have not yet been factored into valuations. Its core business continues to register stable and rising growth, especially from local FMCG players, with the re-entry of the tobacco companies potentially representing another boon for this year, given there has been no excise tax increase. According to Capital IQ consensus, the company is trading on 15.3x FY19E PER and 13.8x FY20E PER, with forecasts EPS growth of +8.5% and +10.5% for FY19E and FY20E respectively. The company is forecast to achieve an ROE of 33% in 2019, with a dividend yield of 4.2%.
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A meeting Surya Citra Media Pt Tbk (SCMA IJ) in Jakarta found management in a relatively ebullient mood. The share price performance has been slightly perplexing the fact that its digital strategy is close to coming to fruition, with upcoming acquisitions representing a positive catalyst.
The company will move forward on acquiring controlling stakes in digital streaming player www.vidio.com, internet company www.kapanlagi.com, and out of home media advertising player EYE Indonesia.
Total revenues from the digital and non-TV space will grow from less than 5% of SCMA’s total revenue to nearly 20% of the total, making it the biggest player in both free-to-air and a major player in digital adverting in Indonesia.
Vidio.com is especially interesting given how fragmented that market is currently. Iy=t already has 22m active users viewing its sport and local content but is looking to bring in a major global player to help finance original content and bring in more international content.
Internet companies represent the biggest and fastest growing advertising customers outside FMCG. They are increasingly paying above market rates for up to two-hour exclusive slots on prime time, where they air their own programming which allows them to engage with the audience.
The recent Kraft Heinz Co (KHC US) debacle may signal the end of zero-based budgeting, which may mean global players such as Unilever Indonesia (UNVR IJ) start to spend more on advertising. in the meantime, local FMCG players remain more aggressive on advertising their products on TV.
Surya Citra Media Pt Tbk (SCMA IJ) remains the best quality proxy to the advertising market in Indonesia. The upcoming acquisitions in the digital space represent strong potential catalysts for the stock, which have not yet been factored into valuations. Its core business continues to register stable and rising growth, especially from local FMCG players, with the re-entry of the tobacco companies potentially representing another boon for this year, given there has been no excise tax increase. According to Capital IQ consensus, the company is trading on 15.3x FY19E PER and 13.8x FY20E PER, with forecasts EPS growth of +8.5% and +10.5% for FY19E and FY20E respectively. The company is forecast to achieve an ROE of 33% in 2019, with a dividend yield of 4.2%.
Global growth is expected to slow over the coming quarters, possibly years – and emerging market economies are certainly not immune from this. Nevertheless, within this diverse universe, the pace of deceleration will be uneven. Whilst some “open” EM economies are generally synchronized with growth dynamics in the rest of the world, others will be shielded by a combination of idiosyncratic forces – including renewed accommodative (monetary and fiscal) policies, cyclical recovery or upswing in domestic growth drivers and – for some – positive political developments and reform progress. Still, other EMs are less fortunate and a growth deceleration is likely to deepen in the near-term – held back by less policy flexibility, political uncertainty and various domestic or external shocks.
With 4Q18 GDP growth reports underway, we sifted through – and synthesized – various growth indicators to introduce a “Growth-Profile Framework” (GPF) to systematically evaluate – and rank – growth profiles in a data-driven, automated and standardized manner. The “GPF” not only takes into account GDP for the most recently-reported four quarters but also forward-looking forecasts and the latest economist revisions, which often take into account the latest data surprises and other material developments.
The observation universe is the “Emerging Markets-25” (EM-25) of large, investable EM countries most often found in benchmark indices such as MSCI EM and JPMorgan (GBI-EM and EMBI) indices. This opportunity set offers a breadth of diversity spanning across Asia, EMEA and LatAm and different stages of development.
Source: Author’s assessment based on Growth Profile Framework (GPF)
Highlights:
Introducing the “EM-25” Growth Profile Framework: This data-driven, automated and standardized model generates a ranking of the “EM-25” economies based on a composite of factors reflecting: 1/ The most recent GDP growth data (in relation to three look-back periods), 2/ Forward-looking consensus growth forecasts (in relation to the most recent four quarters of GDP) and 3/ Upgrades and downgrades to those forecasts.
Andean condors soar while Asian elephants amble along: LatAm – specifically the Andean economies (plus Brazil) – currently stand out as having the most attractive growth profiles among the EM-25. They are helped by a combination of – largely idiosyncratic – factors ranging from newfound reform optimism (Brazil), improving domestic confidence (Colombia), pent-up domestic demand (Peru) and stabilizing appetite for key commodities (Chile). This contrasts with export-oriented Asian manufacturers that dominate the bottom rankings. Elsewhere, the legacy of past macroeconomic policy choices – both painfully orthodox (Argentina) and otherwise (Turkey, Venezuela, Pakistan) – are taking their unique toll on certain other economies.
Does growth matter for investment strategy? Yes…: Simplistically speaking, economies with exemplary growth profiles are viable candidates for long or overweight positions in equity markets and external debt. Strong growth is often associated with stronger corporate earnings potential as well as lower debt-to-GDP levels, respectively. Growth implications for FX and local debt are more ambiguous, but to the extent that a robust growth outlook guides central banks to tighten policy or lifts the government’s fiscal revenues over time, then this may also be positive for currencies and rates, respectively.
…But it’s complicated: However, strong growth can detract asset performance if it is the result of unsustainable policies (e.g. overly loose fiscal or monetary actions) or if it leads to overheating conditions (e.g. runaway inflation or a wider current account deficit). An attractive growth profile, as with all data sets, needs to be judged against its context. Although high and improving growth is an end-goal for many policymakers, the road to strong – and sustainable – growth is far more important for its longevity (and for risk assets over the medium-term). For instance: Are growth prospects improving due to rising productivity (as it might from structural reform)? Or rather from overly-stimulative policies that risk fanning inflation or widening the current account deficit? To what extent do officials have the policy flexibility to stoke growth, smoothen downside growth risks or stave off a recession? We touch upon these questions in the individual country sections below.
While the narrative is almost always more important than the number itself, this GPF framework nevertheless offers a valuable screening tool that systematically evaluates growth profiles – on a stand-alone and relative basis – across the “EM-25” universe.
Growth Profile Framework (GPF) Rankings: Snapshot and Historical Movement
Sparring remains lively in the presidential campaign, with the Prabowo camp targeting a liability for Widodo: retired generals in the cabinet. But Prabowo is still campaigning ineffectively and defections of allied governors shows that some in his camp consider his prospects dim. Police controversially dropped charges against a chief hard-line Islamic figure. Anti-foreign rhetoric, chiefly from Prabowo, threatens to tug policy discourse towards his vision of barriers, autarky and state control. Two forthcoming regulations on the property sector aim to safeguard consumers. A review of geothermal policies is possible. Upstream energy investment may be improving. The IA-Cepa may conclude on 4 March. Adhi Karya’s Jabodebek LRT faces a thorny land problem in Bekasi, where the China-backed fast train project may have complicated matters by overpaying.
Politics: Campaign sparring continues apace, as Gerindra Chair Prabowo Subianto criticized infrastructure projects (they enable imports to penetrate further) and reiterated that “Rp11,000 trillion in Indonesian assets reside abroad”. Campaign officials for President Joko Widodo lambasted the remarks and recalled that both Prabowo and his running mate appeared in the ‘Panama Papers’. Meanwhile, retired generals from the rival campaigns exchanged jabs about events of May 1998; for Prabowo, the topic contains pitfalls (Page 2). In a rare example of violence in election campaigning, a fracas outside a rally in Yogyakarta caused three minor injuries among rival youth groups (p. 4). Elite endorsements matter little, but Widodo has garnered overwhelming support from regional heads (p. 4). Police controversially dropped charges on hard‑line Islamic leader Slamet Ma’arif (p. 5). Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) takes over Partai Demokrat’s campaigning as Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono attends to his ill spouse (p. 6).
Surveys: A newly released poll from the Cyrus Network shows Widodo’s lead intact – but the actual data is from mid‑January, a period that other polls already covered (p. 6).
Policy News: Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Lt Gen (ret) Luhut Panjaitan urged greater state investment in geothermal power (p. 7). Protecting consumers from misleading practices by property developers will reportedly be the focus of two forthcoming regulations (p. 8). The IA-Cepa is reportedly due for signing on 4 March (p. 9).
Produced since 2003, the Reformasi Weekly Review provides timely, relevant and independent analysis on Indonesian political and policy news. The writer is Kevin O’Rourke, author of the book Reformasi. For subscription info please contact: <[email protected]>.
Infrastructure: The Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) will ramp up operations during a trial from 12-24 March, with commercial operations expected by end‑March (p. 9). Press reports hint that the China‑financed Bandung fast train project may have overpaid for land in Bekasi, thereby complicating acquisition of nearby land needed for the Jakarta-Area Light Rail Train (LRT) project, which faces delay until April 2021 (p. 9).
Economics: The trade minister touted FTAs (p. 11). Upstream Regulatory Agency (SKK Migas) officials expressed optimism about investment flows into oil and gas (p. 12).
Outlook: Although the winner is not yet clear, the loser thus far in the presidential election appears to be the international community. Pronounced anti‑foreign rhetoric from the Prabowo camp threatens to cow policymakers and jeopardize prudent economic management. Excessive skepticism of international engagement would come at an awkward time: the current account deficit requires capital inflows, while protectionism would augur lower growth (p. 12).
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The rapidly improving outlook in the LNG industry over the last few years, reinforced towards the end of 2017 by the unexpected growth of demand from China, has set off a proliferation of new LNG projects especially from the US (Exhibit 1).
In its latest LNG Outlook report, Royal Dutch Shell (RDSA LN) is projecting from 2023 onwards a significant gap between the future LNG demand and the existing supply including the capacity under construction that could require up to 100mtpa of new LNG project sanctions by 2023.
The race to gain market share in the projected LNG demand-supply gap has produced an aggregated capacity of proposed new projects of up to 475mtpa, a number larger than the total LNG traded volume in 2018 of 319mtpa and way above the capacity required to meet the future growth in LNG demand.
Exhibit 1: Funnel of proposed LNG projects getting bigger
Source: Energy Market Square, interpretation of data from Shell LNG Outlook 2019, public filings. Higher probability rating depending on oil majors backing, level of offtake agreements, positive news flow catalysts (e.g. regulatory approval, equity financing, EPC agreements). Demand projection assumes 90% capacity utilization. Bubble size proportional to project capacity. The position of the bubbles within the probability ranges is random.
Two new and credible polls show Widodo leading by margins of 18-19 percentage points over Prabowo. This mitigates — but does not entirely eliminate — risks surrounding the 17 April election outlook. Polls show PDI-P and Gerindra gaining at the expense of Islamic parties. The 4th debate on 30 March could help Prabowo draw slightly closer. The planned US$400 million relocation of a textile plant from China to Central Java bodes well, but whether central government policies are supportive remains to be seen. Two SOEs are under corruption scrutiny: Krakatau Steel Persero Tbk (KRAS IJ) and Pupuk Indonesia. A reasonable MRT tariff is in place.
Politics: Coordinating Security Minister Wiranto threatened to invoke the Terrorism Law on those who advocate abstaining on election day. He may believe that high turnout will benefit President Joko Widodo – but the draconian threat will harm Widodo’s image more than it helps (Page 2). The next presidential debate on 30 March will likely feature discussion of Widodo’s proposal to place active military officers in civilian bureaucratic posts (Page 2). Vice‑presidential nominee Sandiaga Uno promised fisheries operators that he and Prabowo Subianto would overturn a ban on dragnet trawling (p. 4). Constitutional Court justices will prioritize the resolution of legislative election disputes (p. 5).
Surveys: With less than three weeks remaining until the 17 April election day, two more new polls show the lead for President Joko Widodo remains intact. A poll by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) took place from 15-22 March; it shows Widodo ahead by 18 percentage points, with 15 percent undecided. Similarly, a poll by Charta Politik showed Widodo leading by 19 points; it also implies that Islamic and Islamic‑oriented parties will shrink by a third on aggregate. Both polls indicate that the reform‑minded Solidarity Party (PSI) is unlikely to pass the four‑percent threshold required to occupy parliamentary seats; incumbent parties at risk of falling short are Hanura, the National Mandate Party (Pan) and the United Development Party (PPP) (p. 6).
Justice: Investigators from the Anti-Corruption Commission (KPK) made arrests in cases involving the state enterprises PT Krakatau Steel Tbk and PT Pupuk (p. 10).
Jakarta: Policymakers finally decided upon a reasonable tariff for the new Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) – Rp10,000 per 10 kilometers, with a maximum fare of Rp14,000 (p. 11).
Reformasi Weekly Review provides timely, relevant and independent analysis on Indonesian political and policy news.
Delivered electronically every Friday, Reformasi Weekly is written by Kevin O’Rourke, author of the book Reformasi.
Reformasi Weekly is a product of PT Reformasi Info Sastra.
Economics: Plans to relocate a sizeable Chinese textile plant in Central Java send a positive signal about manufacturing – but whether central‑government policies will be adequately supportive remains to be seen (p. 12).
Outlook: Plentiful poll data shows that Widodo has a comfortable margin of 55‑60 percent, with few factors likely to alter circumstances in the final three weeks. But his opponent is brazen and risks therefore exist. Widodo winning by only a very narrow margin is a scenario with a low probability – but a high potential impact. Prabowo has a penchant for protesting angrily, hard‑line supporters can inundate Jakarta and the Constitutional Court has a protracted schedule for resolving disputes (its deadline is 8 August) (p. 14).
The US-China trade dispute simmers on. Regardless of the outcome of talks between the two largest economies on earth, the damage to the existing world manufacturing trading order has already been done. China plus one is no longer a preferential industrial location strategy for multinational companies, it is an imperative. Like Brexit, companies are beginning to relocate out of China even before the dispute is either settled or escalated. Profits can’t wait for governments to behave sensibly.
But where to go? Indonesia and Vietnam are the most obvious potential beneficiaries of the fallout from the ongoing trade dispute between the US and China. There are a number of alternatives but Indonesia and Vietnam both have large, youthful working populations (and really here we are talking about the accessible workforces on Java and in Vietnam) and both are located within easy reach of the existing Asian supply chain. But are both equally ready and equally keen to pick up the China baton? Vietnam is the obvious winner in this contest. Unfortunately, for institutional equity investors the market isn’t included in Asia-Pacific or emerging market benchmarks.
The fact that the dollar has strengthened despite the dovish turn at the Fed this year and the significant fall in US rates and bond yields has confounded many analysts.
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Global growth is expected to slow over the coming quarters, possibly years – and emerging market economies are certainly not immune from this. Nevertheless, within this diverse universe, the pace of deceleration will be uneven. Whilst some “open” EM economies are generally synchronized with growth dynamics in the rest of the world, others will be shielded by a combination of idiosyncratic forces – including renewed accommodative (monetary and fiscal) policies, cyclical recovery or upswing in domestic growth drivers and – for some – positive political developments and reform progress. Still, other EMs are less fortunate and a growth deceleration is likely to deepen in the near-term – held back by less policy flexibility, political uncertainty and various domestic or external shocks.
With 4Q18 GDP growth reports underway, we sifted through – and synthesized – various growth indicators to introduce a “Growth-Profile Framework” (GPF) to systematically evaluate – and rank – growth profiles in a data-driven, automated and standardized manner. The “GPF” not only takes into account GDP for the most recently-reported four quarters but also forward-looking forecasts and the latest economist revisions, which often take into account the latest data surprises and other material developments.
The observation universe is the “Emerging Markets-25” (EM-25) of large, investable EM countries most often found in benchmark indices such as MSCI EM and JPMorgan (GBI-EM and EMBI) indices. This opportunity set offers a breadth of diversity spanning across Asia, EMEA and LatAm and different stages of development.
Source: Author’s assessment based on Growth Profile Framework (GPF)
Highlights:
Introducing the “EM-25” Growth Profile Framework: This data-driven, automated and standardized model generates a ranking of the “EM-25” economies based on a composite of factors reflecting: 1/ The most recent GDP growth data (in relation to three look-back periods), 2/ Forward-looking consensus growth forecasts (in relation to the most recent four quarters of GDP) and 3/ Upgrades and downgrades to those forecasts.
Andean condors soar while Asian elephants amble along: LatAm – specifically the Andean economies (plus Brazil) – currently stand out as having the most attractive growth profiles among the EM-25. They are helped by a combination of – largely idiosyncratic – factors ranging from newfound reform optimism (Brazil), improving domestic confidence (Colombia), pent-up domestic demand (Peru) and stabilizing appetite for key commodities (Chile). This contrasts with export-oriented Asian manufacturers that dominate the bottom rankings. Elsewhere, the legacy of past macroeconomic policy choices – both painfully orthodox (Argentina) and otherwise (Turkey, Venezuela, Pakistan) – are taking their unique toll on certain other economies.
Does growth matter for investment strategy? Yes…: Simplistically speaking, economies with exemplary growth profiles are viable candidates for long or overweight positions in equity markets and external debt. Strong growth is often associated with stronger corporate earnings potential as well as lower debt-to-GDP levels, respectively. Growth implications for FX and local debt are more ambiguous, but to the extent that a robust growth outlook guides central banks to tighten policy or lifts the government’s fiscal revenues over time, then this may also be positive for currencies and rates, respectively.
…But it’s complicated: However, strong growth can detract asset performance if it is the result of unsustainable policies (e.g. overly loose fiscal or monetary actions) or if it leads to overheating conditions (e.g. runaway inflation or a wider current account deficit). An attractive growth profile, as with all data sets, needs to be judged against its context. Although high and improving growth is an end-goal for many policymakers, the road to strong – and sustainable – growth is far more important for its longevity (and for risk assets over the medium-term). For instance: Are growth prospects improving due to rising productivity (as it might from structural reform)? Or rather from overly-stimulative policies that risk fanning inflation or widening the current account deficit? To what extent do officials have the policy flexibility to stoke growth, smoothen downside growth risks or stave off a recession? We touch upon these questions in the individual country sections below.
While the narrative is almost always more important than the number itself, this GPF framework nevertheless offers a valuable screening tool that systematically evaluates growth profiles – on a stand-alone and relative basis – across the “EM-25” universe.
Growth Profile Framework (GPF) Rankings: Snapshot and Historical Movement
Sparring remains lively in the presidential campaign, with the Prabowo camp targeting a liability for Widodo: retired generals in the cabinet. But Prabowo is still campaigning ineffectively and defections of allied governors shows that some in his camp consider his prospects dim. Police controversially dropped charges against a chief hard-line Islamic figure. Anti-foreign rhetoric, chiefly from Prabowo, threatens to tug policy discourse towards his vision of barriers, autarky and state control. Two forthcoming regulations on the property sector aim to safeguard consumers. A review of geothermal policies is possible. Upstream energy investment may be improving. The IA-Cepa may conclude on 4 March. Adhi Karya’s Jabodebek LRT faces a thorny land problem in Bekasi, where the China-backed fast train project may have complicated matters by overpaying.
Politics: Campaign sparring continues apace, as Gerindra Chair Prabowo Subianto criticized infrastructure projects (they enable imports to penetrate further) and reiterated that “Rp11,000 trillion in Indonesian assets reside abroad”. Campaign officials for President Joko Widodo lambasted the remarks and recalled that both Prabowo and his running mate appeared in the ‘Panama Papers’. Meanwhile, retired generals from the rival campaigns exchanged jabs about events of May 1998; for Prabowo, the topic contains pitfalls (Page 2). In a rare example of violence in election campaigning, a fracas outside a rally in Yogyakarta caused three minor injuries among rival youth groups (p. 4). Elite endorsements matter little, but Widodo has garnered overwhelming support from regional heads (p. 4). Police controversially dropped charges on hard‑line Islamic leader Slamet Ma’arif (p. 5). Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) takes over Partai Demokrat’s campaigning as Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono attends to his ill spouse (p. 6).
Surveys: A newly released poll from the Cyrus Network shows Widodo’s lead intact – but the actual data is from mid‑January, a period that other polls already covered (p. 6).
Policy News: Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Lt Gen (ret) Luhut Panjaitan urged greater state investment in geothermal power (p. 7). Protecting consumers from misleading practices by property developers will reportedly be the focus of two forthcoming regulations (p. 8). The IA-Cepa is reportedly due for signing on 4 March (p. 9).
Produced since 2003, the Reformasi Weekly Review provides timely, relevant and independent analysis on Indonesian political and policy news. The writer is Kevin O’Rourke, author of the book Reformasi. For subscription info please contact: <[email protected]>.
Infrastructure: The Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) will ramp up operations during a trial from 12-24 March, with commercial operations expected by end‑March (p. 9). Press reports hint that the China‑financed Bandung fast train project may have overpaid for land in Bekasi, thereby complicating acquisition of nearby land needed for the Jakarta-Area Light Rail Train (LRT) project, which faces delay until April 2021 (p. 9).
Economics: The trade minister touted FTAs (p. 11). Upstream Regulatory Agency (SKK Migas) officials expressed optimism about investment flows into oil and gas (p. 12).
Outlook: Although the winner is not yet clear, the loser thus far in the presidential election appears to be the international community. Pronounced anti‑foreign rhetoric from the Prabowo camp threatens to cow policymakers and jeopardize prudent economic management. Excessive skepticism of international engagement would come at an awkward time: the current account deficit requires capital inflows, while protectionism would augur lower growth (p. 12).
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