Indonesia Retail Sales Fall 3.2%

(RTTNews) - Indonesia's retail sales decreased for the second straight month in May, preliminary survey data from the Bank of Indonesia showed on Thursday.

Retail sales dropped 3.2 percent year-on-year in May, slower than the 3.7 percent decline a month ago, which was the first fall in a year.

Sales of information and communication equipment contracted the most by 17.5 percent, and those of food, beverages, and tobacco were 4.0 percent lower. Meanwhile, sales for spare parts and accessories grew sharply by 16.6 percent.

On a monthly basis, retail sales dropped at a slower pace of 0.9 percent versus an 11.6 percent plunge in April.

In terms of prices, the survey respondents expect inflationary pressures to remain stable over the next three months, while expecting an increase over the coming six months.