| Nigeria Economy |    970 VIEWS  |
| Nigeria Economy | |
| 970 VIEWS | |
 |
Monday, January 18, 2021 / 08:35 AM / FDC Ltd / Header Image Credit: NBS
Nigeria's headline inflation for December 2020 came in
at 15.75%, much higher than analyst expectations and 0.86% above the November
figure (14.89%). It is almost 7% above the upper limit of the CBN's inflation
target range (6-9%), bringing the average inflation in 2020 to 13.21%, up from
11.39% in 2019.
A deep dive into the report shows that core inflation
(inflation less seasonalities) increased sharply by 0.32% to 11.37% compared to
a reduction of 0.09% in November. This indicates that the spike in headline
inflation is not driven by seasonal factors alone. It validates the notion that
the continued rise in inflation is due to the combined effects of exchange rate
pass through, higher logistics costs (PMS), electricity tariff hike among
others. High powered money and the funding of the FG overdraft estimated at
N11trn are also inflation stoking factors.
Meanwhile, the relatively stable month-on-month
inflation rate (1.6% - annualized at 21.11%) suggests that the spike in the
annual price level was partly driven by base year effects. Output levels in
December 2020 were much lower compared to December 2019 due to the COVID
disruptive effects.
The unrelenting rise in inflation will be a major
issue at the MPC meeting later this month. The CBN cannot be oblivious to a
rate of inflation which is now almost 7% above the upper limit of its inflation
range (6-9%).
It therefore may consider tightening before the
meeting or symbolically increasing the rates of its special bills, currently at
0.5%p.a. The naira had wobbled throughout 2020, partly as a result of the wide
gap between the rate of inflation (15.75%) and basement level rate of 0.5%p.a
on 91-day T/Bills. The FGN has also announced plans to securitize its overdraft
at the CBN, roughly estimated at N11trn (30.14% of money supply). This means
more securities available for institutional investors and a possible increase
in interest rates.
Inflation Breakdown
Core inflation up 0.32% to 11.37% on
higher logistics costs
In December, core inflation (inflation less
seasonalities) increased sharply by 0.32% to 11.37% on an annual basis and by
0.39% to 1.1% on a monthly basis. This suggests that the transmission effect of
the petroleum price increase and electricity tariff hike is gradually
reflecting in commodity prices. The highest increases were recorded in prices
of passenger transport by air and road (higher logistics costs and a pickup in
travel demand), pharmaceutical products, medical and artisan services like
vehicle maintenance and repairs as well as hair dressing salon costs.
Food inflation climbs to a 37-month
high as forex scarcity mutes the impact of border reopening
Analysts had expected the reopening of the land
borders in December to boost output levels and gradually ease supply
constraints. However, food inflation has remained stubbornly high, crossing the
19% threshold to a 37-month high of 19.56% in December 2020. On a month-month
basis, the food index inched up 0.01% to 2.05%. The marginal increase in the
monthly food sub-index reveals the gradual impact of the harvest (tomatoes and
onions).
Meanwhile, the spike in the annual food component largely
explains the base year effects on commodity prices i.e. output levels in
December 2020 were low compared to December 2019, caused by the COVID-19
disruptive effects. Also, the impact of border re-opening was limited by forex
illiquidity. The commodities that recorded the highest price increases were
bread and cereals, potatoes, yam and other tubers, meat, fruits, vegetable,
fish and oils and fats.
Rural and Urban
Both the rural and urban sub-indices recorded sharp
increases on an annual basis. Urban inflation increased by 0.86% to 16.33%
while the rural sub-index rose by 0.87% to 15.20%. On a monthly basis, the
urban subindex was flat at 1.65% while the rural sub-index inched up by 0.02%
to 1.58%.
State-by-State Analysis
Abia state recorded the lowest inflation rate
(13.30%), followed by Kwara (13.91%) and Lagos (14.05%). However, the states
with the highest inflation rates were mainly in the North - Bauchi (19.85%),
kogi (18.40%) and Edo (18.15%).
SSA Regional Trend
With the exception of South Africa, all the Sub
Saharan African (SSA) countries under our review have released their inflation
numbers for December 2020. Uganda was the only country under our review that
recorded a decline, while others recorded an increase. The rise in inflation
was largely as a result of disruptions to agricultural activities and currency
depreciation due to the twin shock of COVID-19 and lower oil prices. Heightened
inflationary pressures could force a reversal in monetary policy stance in
these countries.
Outlook
We expect a further increase in headline inflation in
January 2021 but the pace of increase could slow due to the re-opening of land
borders and increased output due to harvest.
The MPC is expected to meet on January 25/26. We
expect the stubbornly high inflation rate to be one of the major considerations
at the meeting. The CBN cannot be oblivious to a rate of inflation which is now
almost 7% above the upper limit of its inflation target range (6-9%). It
therefore may consider tightening before the meeting or symbolically increasing
the rates of its special bills, which is currently at 0.5%p.a.
Credits
* This post was first published on FDC Economic Bulletin on
Friday, January 15, 2021.
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