The reason is that domestic players prefer to wait and see for results of the 2014 elections (both the legislative election which was held on 9 April 2014 and the presidential election which is scheduled for 9 July 2014). Indonesia is still a young democracy and therefore it is not 100 percent certain that an election will pass without problems. If an election would result in disorder then it will have a serious impact on the stock market and this is what makes businesses hesitant to conduct an IPO in a political year. Moreover, business players prefer to wait for a new government to unfold its plans for the economy as well as new policy strategies.

As such, it is expected that there will be more enthusiasm for IPOs after the result of the presidential election. However, another factor that increases political uncertainties is that the upcoming presidential election has become a close race between Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto. Most recent polls still put Widodo in the lead but Subianto is closing the gap rapidly. Therefore the market cannot act based on prediction or feeling. Previously, the market showed that it supports Widodo (evidenced by a sharply rising stock market on the day of his candidacy).

But despite reduced enthusiasm to hold an IPO, the Indonesia Stock Exchange still targets 30 new listings for this year. Director of the IDX Hoesen said that new listings are important to enhance the exchange’s market capitalization and increase stock trading. Hoesen added that six companies will be listed on the IDX soon. These are Magna Finance, Bank Dinar, Bank Agris, Sitara Propertindo, Mitrabara Adiperdana and Batavia Prosperindo Internasional. In the first half of 2014, the following companies held an IPO:

Last Update: 29 Mar 2021
IPOs on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in First Half 2014
CompanyP: 29 Mar 2021P: 28 Mar 2021Gain/LossP/E ttmYield %Gain/Loss YTD
Bank Panin SyariahPNBS83821.22%N/A0.00%-4.60%
Asuransi Mitra Maparya Tbk.ASMI925930-0.54%N/A0.00%-6.57%
Bank Ina Perdana Tbk.BINA1,5601,5500.65%N/A0.00%64.21%
Capitol Nusantara Indonesia Tbk.CANI1861860.00%N/A0.00%22.37%
Tunas Alfin Tbk.TALF31025820.16%N/A0.00%13.97%
Bali Towerindo Sentra Tbk.BALI7006901.45%N/A0.00%-6.04%
Wijaya Karya BetonWTON334344-2.91%N/A0.00%-20.85%
Graha Layar PrimaBLTZ4,6004,650-1.08%N/A0.00%53.85%
Intermedia Capital Tbk.MDIA6366-4.55%N/A0.00%3.28%
Eka Sari Lorena TransportLRNA180185-2.70%N/A0.00%1.69%
Link NetLINK3,2403,2001.25%N/A0.00%25.10%
Chitose InternasionalCINT238244-2.46%N/A0.00%-6.30%
Combined Total12,41912,3850.27%28.16%

Green colour indicates upward movement Red colour indicates downward movement P = price; E = earnings; D = dividend; Yield = D/P "N/A" indicates P/E < 0 (negative earnings) "-" indicates E,D,P or YTD is not available

General Director of the IDX, Ito Warsito, said that a stable Indonesian rupiah exchange rate is important for the attractiveness of Indonesian stocks. Since May 2013, the rupiah has depreciated significantly against the US dollar due to the looming end of the Federal Reserve’s quantitative easing program in combination with Indonesia’s wide current account deficit. Although the influence of the winding down of QE3 has waned, the current account deficit is still a concern and puts pressure on the rupiah rate. In the first quarter of 2014, the country’s current account deficit was 2.06 of gross domestic product (GDP). Recently the Governor of Bank Indonesia, Agus Martowardojo, stated that this deficit will probably widen in the second quarter.

Indonesia Current Account Balance:

Political Year of 2014: Decline of Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) in Indonesia

Manhattan-based Morgan Stanley stated in a report titled “Indonesia Economics and Strategy - the Election Square-Off”, released on 26 June 2014, that it is less concerned about the result of the presidential election but instead says that market players should pay closer attention to the actual implementation of reforms after a new government is inaugurated in October 2014. Morgan Stanley is confident about Indonesia’s strong democratic fabric and about the low likelihood of significant economic changes after the election. The global financial services company said that “market reaction to the political outcome could be exaggerated,” as “based on investor feedback, it appears that the market could undershoot its fundamentals with a Prabowo Subianto victory and overshoot its fundamentals with a Joko Widodo (Jokowi) victory.”

Bahas