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Unilever Indonesia's rally fades

With slowing growth, analysts say stock will drop further after falling 20% from its May peak

Published Fri, Nov 20, 2015 · 09:50 PM

Jakarta

BUYING shares in Unilever's Indonesia unit used to be an almost guaranteed way to profit from consumer spending growth in South-east Asia's most populous nation.

The stock rose every year bar one since the start of 2000, returning an annual average of 27 per cent - four times the gain by global peers. A stabilising political climate, surging commodity prices and economic growth of more than 5 per cent a year fuelled rising wealth among the country's 250 million people and a 10-fold increase in profit for the company selling staples from ice cream to detergent.