In recent months, positive fundamentals have coloured stock indices green. Despite volatility, these positive fundamentals remain today. Therefore, analysts of JP Morgan emphasize that people should not turn their backs to stock markets now. Risks are obviously always present but the analysts stress that people should not be too concerned about ongoing volatility. In fact, volatility should be used to one's advantage by purchasing when the index is low. Below are five arguments that JP Morgan mentions as reason to keep buying stocks.

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In recent years, Astra International, one of Indonesia's largest diversified conglomerates, dominated the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) in terms of market capitalization. However, it increasingly felt the competition of HM Sampoerna, Indonesia's largest tobacco company. Over the last five years, HM Sampoerna's market capitalization grew by a staggering 746.2 percent. It is also interesting to note that a  handful of Indonesian companies account for over one-third of market capitalization of Indonesia's stock exchange.

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Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom), Indonesia's largest telecommunication & network provider, plans to conduct a stock split this year with a ratio of 1:5. This step will make Telkom's shares more affordable and increases its liquidity. Analysts have good projections for the company as it holds a dominant market position in Indonesia's telecommunication sector, a high dividend ratio, and good corporate management. Its share price gained 25.7 percent this year.

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In the period April-June 2013, at least 13 Indonesian companies are planning to pay the final dividends for book year 2012. It is expected that this number will rise in the weeks ahead as there are still companies that need to hold the annual general meeting (AGM), in which dividend payouts are decided. Last year, more than one hundred listed companies on the Indonesia Stock Exchange paid out dividends (of a total number of 462 listed companies at end 2012).

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While the benchmark stock indices in the United States, China and Japan all showed steep declines in 2022, Indonesia’s benchmark stock index (IDX Composite or IHSG) managed to rise 4.09 percent to 6,850.62 points last year.

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The Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) is serious about becoming the largest stock exchange in the ASEAN region - in terms of transaction value and the number of listed companies - by the year 2020. Currently, Singapore remains the largest stock exchange in the ASEAN region with a market capitalization of about USD $640 billion (in 2015), nearly twice the size of Indonesia's stock exchange (the market capitalization is the number of total outstanding shares at the exchange multiplied by their stock prices).

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Indonesian stock markets have garnered a good deal of attention to start the year, with the Jakarta Composite Index (JKSE) showing gains of more than 3.2 percent for the period. This is something of an anomaly when we look at the global stock market as a whole, given the fact that most investors have already started to brace for a generalized tightening cycle in interest rates in several key economies.

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Although the Jakarta Composite Index, Indonesia's benchmark stock index, fell 12.13 percent during the year 2015, not all shares of listed companies were in red territory last year. It is interesting to take a look at those shares, particularly the blue-chip stocks, that still managed to rise amid unconducive domestic and global economic conditions. Therefore, we present the top gainers of the LQ45 index. This LQ45 index, created by the research and development division of the Indonesia Stock Exchange, consists of 45 stocks that meet specific criteria.

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For a good portion of this year, the stock market in Indonesia has been met with selling pressure. There is a reasonable basis for this, as we have seen some disappointments in corporate earnings that have led some of the biggest names in the country to trade lower. But there are external events at work, as well. And some of these factors might not be readily apparent to many regional investors. One of these is the sovereign debt situation in the Eurozone.

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After Indonesia’s political year of 2014 ended, financial institutions expect to experience better times in 2015. Last year, economic growth of Indonesia slowed to a five-year low of 5.02 percent (y/y) due to weak exports, the high domestic interest rate environment, and political uncertainties caused by Indonesia’s legislative and presidential elections. This year, however, economic growth is expected to accelerate - albeit slightly - implying stronger purchasing power. One of the businesses that will profit is mutual fund management.

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Indonesian stocks and the rupiah have rebounded on Friday due to several internal and external factors. During the first trading session on Friday (17/10), the benchmark stock index of Indonesia (Jakarta Composite Index, or IHSG) surged 0.94 percent to 4,998.14 points. Meanwhile, based on the Bloomberg Dollar Index, the Indonesian rupiah exchange rate had appreciated 0.26 percent to IDR 12,228 per US dollar by 12:30 pm local Jakarta time. Why do Indonesian stocks and the rupiah perform well on Friday?

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US Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen reminded global investors to prepare for a sooner-than-expected US interest rate hike (Fed Funds Rate, FFR) provided that the economy of the USA - the world’s largest economy - continues its improving trend. In fact, speculation has emerged that the FFR will be raised before the end of 2014 although Yellen stated more than once that the ‘close-to-zero’ interest rate environment would be maintained for a considerable period after the US bond-buying program (quantitative easing) has ended.

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Indonesia’s fuel subsidy policy is estimated to have a large influence on investors’ confidence in the financial or fiscal fundamentals of Southeast Asia’s largest economy and thus on the performance of the local stock index and currency. New president elect Joko Widodo (popularly known as Jokowi) is expected to raise prices of subsidized fuels after taking office in late October 2014 in an attempt to combat the country’s wide current account deficit (mainly caused by expensive oil imports to meet domestic fuel demand).

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Property stocks listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) have outperformed all other stocks between the first trading day of 2014 up to 29 August 2014. The IDX’ property sector category rose 37.6 percent in the indicated period, whereas the benchmark stock index (Jakarta Composite Index, abbreviated IHSG) - which involves all stocks traded on the IDX - climbed 18.7 percent over the same period. On the IDX, stocks are placed in ten sectoral categories. The second-best performing sectoral index was finance (+24.5 percent).

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