Chief Economist & Political Strategist, CrossASEAN Research

Prasenjit K. Basu

Chief Economist & Political Strategist

CrossASEAN Research

At CrossASEAN Research we strive to produce unbiased and differentiated on the ground insights on companies across South East Asia. Our Research is produced for the most part after face to face meetings and conversations with company management to dig deep into the long term vision and strategy of the companies we cover. We seek to deliver investable and actionable themes on sectors and markets across SE Asia, often in collaboration with other Insight Providers across the region, pooling the vast experience of the analysts within the Smartkarma Ecosystem. We also offer bespoke work and tailor made trips for our clients. 

Insights across South East Asia

Macroeconomics

<ul>
<li>Riding the boom in energy prices, Indonesia had twin surpluses in 1H2022: a fiscal surplus of 0.9% of GDP and a BoP current account surplus of 0.6% of GDP.</li>
<li>After last week's policy rate hike, real interest rates are close to positive. Fiscal strength allows the government to boost spending to counter the OECD recession over the next year.</li>
<li>We expect real GDP growth of 6%YoY in 2H2022, and 6.3% in 2023. With nominal GDP surging nearly 15%, EPS will be resurgent and valuations attractive. Overweight Indonesia.  </li>
</ul>


Riding the boom in energy prices, Indonesia had twin surpluses in 1H2022: a fiscal surplus of 0.9% of GDP and a BoP current account surplus of 0.6% of GDP.
After last week's policy rate hike, real interest rates are close to positive. Fiscal strength allows the government to boost spending to counter the OECD recession over the next year.
We expect real GDP growth of 6%YoY in 2H2022, and 6.3% in 2023. With nominal GDP surging nearly 15%, EPS will be resurgent and valuations attractive. Overweight Indonesia.  


Indonesia: Set to Accelerate Amid the OECD Recession, Helped by Twin Surpluses

<ul>
<li>FOMC raised the FF rate by 75bp for the third consecutive time, taking it to 3-3.25% as expected. We expect the Fed Funds rate to peak at 5% in Mar’23.</li>
<li>The more aggressive monetary tightening by the US (outlined in the SER) will likely bring forward the US recession to Q2CY23 (two quarters ahead of our previous forecast). </li>
<li>USD will continue to strengthen, weakening the prospects for emerging markets. India, Indonesia, Vietnam will be safe havens, and Japan will continue riding the weak Yen. Avoid EM-creditor China. </li>
</ul>


FOMC raised the FF rate by 75bp for the third consecutive time, taking it to 3-3.25% as expected. We expect the Fed Funds rate to peak at 5% in Mar’23.
The more aggressive monetary tightening by the US (outlined in the SER) will likely bring forward the US recession to Q2CY23 (two quarters ahead of our previous forecast). 
USD will continue to strengthen, weakening the prospects for emerging markets. India, Indonesia, Vietnam will be safe havens, and Japan will continue riding the weak Yen. Avoid EM-creditor China. 


FOMC Acknowledges Its Policy Error and Will Front-Load Rate Hikes

Silver Point

Thomas J. Monaco

Silver Point is a boutique research firm that focuses on the broader financial services sector, with a particular focus on troubled institutions globally. 

Asia Ex Japan

Equity Bottom-Up

Bank Negara Indonesia Persero / Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>BNI posted a poor set of 4Q21 results, given the generally ignored continued credit deterioration; </li>
<li>Results were heavily reliant on a negative 10.0% tax rate for 4Q21, which goes away in 2022; and </li>
<li>BNI recently announced a "me too" deal to acquire a 63.9% stake in Bank Mayora at 2x book, at a time when BNI’s own house is a dumpster fire. </li>
</ul>


BNI posted a poor set of 4Q21 results, given the generally ignored continued credit deterioration; 
Results were heavily reliant on a negative 10.0% tax rate for 4Q21, which goes away in 2022; and 
BNI recently announced a "me too" deal to acquire a 63.9% stake in Bank Mayora at 2x book, at a time when BNI’s own house is a dumpster fire. 


Bank Negara Indonesia – What on Earth Is Management Thinking?

*Solid Result, But Challenges Ahead: Bank Central Asia (BBCA.IJ) [BCA] reported 3Q21 results of IDR 8.7 tn, improving IDR 1.3 tn (17.9%) on a linked quarter basis. BCA’s positive operating performance was highlighted by a loss provision cut of 66.5%, a slightly reduced tax rate, and a modest decline in costs; and*Credit Challenges Abating: By our calculation, we find that 3Q21 net new NPLs amounted to IDR 942 bn for an annualized rate of increase of 27.2%, and comparing very favorably to the 92.4% rate in 2Q21. Despite the significant deceleration in net new NPL formation, we calculate that loss reserves are likely right where they need to be.

*Solid Result, But Challenges Ahead: Bank Central Asia (BBCA.IJ) [BCA] reported 3Q21 results of IDR 8.7 tn, improving IDR 1.3 tn (17.9%) on a linked quarter basis. BCA’s positive operating performance was highlighted by a loss provision cut of 66.5%, a slightly reduced tax rate, and a modest decline in costs; and*Credit Challenges Abating: By our calculation, we find that 3Q21 net new NPLs amounted to IDR 942 bn for an annualized rate of increase of 27.2%, and comparing very favorably to the 92.4% rate in 2Q21. Despite the significant deceleration in net new NPL formation, we calculate that loss reserves are likely right where they need to be.

Bank Central Asia – Substantial Credit Delta Improvement

While the US was the epicentre of the world's first Covid wave (peaking in January 2021), and India the second (peaking in early-May 2021), the epicentre of the current third global Covid wave is ASEAN. While Indonesia was initially the worst hit, this wave has spread to Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam (the latter two among the most successful in combatting Covid in 2020), with some scares in Singapore and the Philippines as well. ASEAN's real GDP is estimated to have grown over 10% YoY in 2Q 2021 (helped by a very depressed base from 2Q 2020) but the renewed Covid surge is set to weaken the economic recovery in 2H 2021. In July 2021, Indonesia has had more new Covid cases than any other nation globally. But the worst of Indonesia's Covid wave was reached on 18 July 2021 (at a 7-day moving average of 50,039 new daily infections), and these have since receded by nearly a fifth. The biggest hit will occur in 3Q 2021 growth, but Indonesia's real GDP should exceed 6% YoY in 4Q 2021, bringing full-year growth to about 5%. The worst-hit ASEAN economy (and polity) is Malaysia, where there have been 3 successive Covid waves in 2021, the last of which has not yet reached its peak. Consequently, the greatest economic and political uncertainty in 2H 2021 will be in Malaysia, which has the highest per capita Covid case load in South or South-east Asia (at 31,334 cases per million population). We expect real GDP to grow no more than 3% YoY in 2H 2021 despite a low base. Thailand and Vietnam, both extremely successful in containing Covid in 2020 (although Thailand's tourism-dependent economy nonetheless suffered a severe hit from the drying-up of tourist arrivals) are now seeing their first wave of Covid infections, in July 2021. The peak of the current Covid wave is not yet detectable in either country. Vietnam's Covid wave is concentrated in the south (Ho Chi Minh City and surrounding provinces), but Thailand's is concentrated around the main economic centre, Bangkok, and its surrounding provinces. However, the base effect is more helpful in Thialand than Vietnam (the latter having continued to grow in all four quarters of 2020), so we expect Vietnam's real GDP to grow 5% YoY and Thailand's 5-6% YoY in 2H 2021. Despite a major alarm being raised in Singapore as well, the latest Covid wave is very mild in the island-republic, and real GDP in Singapore is consequently likely to grow 7.2% in 2021.

While the US was the epicentre of the world's first Covid wave (peaking in January 2021), and India the second (peaking in early-May 2021), the epicentre of the current third global Covid wave is ASEAN. While Indonesia was initially the worst hit, this wave has spread to Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam (the latter two among the most successful in combatting Covid in 2020), with some scares in Singapore and the Philippines as well. ASEAN's real GDP is estimated to have grown over 10% YoY in 2Q 2021 (helped by a very depressed base from 2Q 2020) but the renewed Covid surge is set to weaken the economic recovery in 2H 2021. In July 2021, Indonesia has had more new Covid cases than any other nation globally. But the worst of Indonesia's Covid wave was reached on 18 July 2021 (at a 7-day moving average of 50,039 new daily infections), and these have since receded by nearly a fifth. The biggest hit will occur in 3Q 2021 growth, but Indonesia's real GDP should exceed 6% YoY in 4Q 2021, bringing full-year growth to about 5%. The worst-hit ASEAN economy (and polity) is Malaysia, where there have been 3 successive Covid waves in 2021, the last of which has not yet reached its peak. Consequently, the greatest economic and political uncertainty in 2H 2021 will be in Malaysia, which has the highest per capita Covid case load in South or South-east Asia (at 31,334 cases per million population). We expect real GDP to grow no more than 3% YoY in 2H 2021 despite a low base. Thailand and Vietnam, both extremely successful in containing Covid in 2020 (although Thailand's tourism-dependent economy nonetheless suffered a severe hit from the drying-up of tourist arrivals) are now seeing their first wave of Covid infections, in July 2021. The peak of the current Covid wave is not yet detectable in either country. Vietnam's Covid wave is concentrated in the south (Ho Chi Minh City and surrounding provinces), but Thailand's is concentrated around the main economic centre, Bangkok, and its surrounding provinces. However, the base effect is more helpful in Thialand than Vietnam (the latter having continued to grow in all four quarters of 2020), so we expect Vietnam's real GDP to grow 5% YoY and Thailand's 5-6% YoY in 2H 2021. Despite a major alarm being raised in Singapore as well, the latest Covid wave is very mild in the island-republic, and real GDP in Singapore is consequently likely to grow 7.2% in 2021.  

ASEAN as Epicentre of the Covid Crisis: Malaysia Worst Off, Indonesia Improving

Indonesia

iShares MSCI Indonesia ETF is an exchange-traded fund incorporated in the USA. The ETF seeks investment results that correspond to the performance of the MSCI Indonesia Investable Market Index.

iShares MSCI Indonesia ETF (EIDO US)

Indonesia: Set to Accelerate Amid the OECD Recession, Helped by Twin Surpluses

With a BoPCA surplus of 0.6% & fiscal surplus of 0.9% of GDP in 1H2022, Indonesia is able to provide a big fiscal stimulus over the next year. EPS...

Prasenjit K. Basu

FOMC Acknowledges Its Policy Error and Will Front-Load Rate Hikes

FOMC has tightened 300bp in Mar-Sep'22 & is set to tighten another 125bp by end-22. US recession will likely begin Q2CY23. Avoid stagflationary...

Prasenjit K. Basu

Bank Negara Indonesia – What on Earth Is Management Thinking?

BANK NEGARA INDONESIA: BNI posted a poor set of 4Q21 results, and heavily dependent on a negative 10.0% tax rate. BNI recently announced deal comes...

Thomas J. Monaco

Bank Central Asia – Substantial Credit Delta Improvement

BANK CENTRAL ASIA : BCA reported a 3Q21 QOQ results increase of 17.9%, driven by justifiable credit leverage. 3Q21 net new NPLs decelerated from...

Thomas J. Monaco

ASEAN as Epicentre of the Covid Crisis: Malaysia Worst Off, Indonesia Improving

After 10%+YoY GDP growth in 2Q21, ASEAN became the epicentre of the 3rd global Covid wave. Malaysia is worst-hit, Indonesia's worst is over,...

Prasenjit K. Basu