JAKARTA, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia recorded a more vigorous figure of annualized growth of retail sales in May, doubling that in the preceding month as holy fasting month steeply spurred demand.
A survey carried out by the central bank showed on Wednesday that retail sales growing 8.3 percent in May from a year ago, compared with that in April of 4.1 percent.
The substantially reassuring growth was contributed by the expansions of clothes sales of 16.5 percent in May on year from 10.0 percent in April, foods sales of 13.3 percent and tobacco of 7.7 percent.
Looking at the sales in June, the survey looked to the retail sales growth to creep up to 6.8 percent as demand remains solid.
The price pressures were apt to ebb away within the next 3 months year-over-year indicated by the descent index of price expectation of 152.0, falling from 153.7 during the previous 3 months.
The significant retail sales growth in May is in line with the national statistics bureau report of annualized core inflation, scrapping volatile food prices and government-controlled sales in the month which touched 2.75 percent, dripping up from 2.69 percent in April.
Consumption accounts for over half of the gross domestic product growth in Indonesia.
Although already taken aggressive tightening policies by the country's rate setter in central bank and the possibility of persistence of the hawkish tone in the months ahead has eroded GDP growth expectation, still the government remains putting modest target for this year of 5.2 percent from that of 5.07 percent last year.
