Indonesian stocks rebounded on Tuesday (16/06). The country’s benchmark Jakarta Composite Index rose 0.72 percent to 4,872.60 points supported by foreign net buying and rebounding from yesterday’s 13-month low position. Middle and longer term investors now have great opportunity to find stocks at bargain prices (particularly those stocks that are not too exposed to the weakening rupiah). However, trading volume was low at about 60 percent of the past 30-day average thus indicating that market participants remain wary.

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After having delisted its shares from the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) in 2007, Mitra Energi Persada relisted 212 billion shares (approximately 11.6 percent of the company’s equity) on the IDX on Monday (04/05). The relisting was a success. Shares of the company, traded under the ticker KOPI, rose almost 50 percent to IDR 590. Mitra Energi Persada was originally established as an e-commerce company but later shifted its business to the energy sector. The company is a trader of natural gas, coal and oil.

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Indonesian stocks continue to fall on today’s trading day (28/04). After having declined 3.49 percent yesterday, the benchmark Jakarta Composite Index fell a further 1.00 percent during the first trading session on Tuesday. Investors, particularly foreign ones, are still concerned about weak first quarter financial results of listed Indonesian companies, signalling that the country’s economic growth in Q1-2015 will be disappointing too. Furthermore, the market is waiting for results of the Federal Reserve’s two-day policy meeting which is set to start today.

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One of the world’s largest budget carriers, Malaysia-based AirAsia Group, plans to list its Indonesian unit - Indonesia AirAsia - on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in mid-2016. AirAsia Group Chief Tony Fernandes said that the group is eager to expand its presence in Indonesia, one of the world’s fastest growing regions in terms of air passengers, and aims to raise USD $300 million through this initial public offering (IPO). The fatal crash of Indonesia AirAsia flight QZ8501 in the Java Sea in December 2014 did not dim the group’s ambitions.

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Indonesia’s Financial Services Authority (OJK) in cooperation with the Indonesian Bond Pricing Agency (IBPA) and the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) has launched a bond index on Friday (21/11) involving government and corporate bonds that should function as a reference for the pricing and performance. This new index is called the INDOBEX and is divided into three types of indices: INDOBEX Composite, INDOBEX Government and INDOBEX Corporate. Each index has a total return, clean price, gross price, effective yield and gross yield index.

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Indonesian shipping company Soechi Lines targets to raise IDR 2 trillion through an initial public offering (IPO) on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) in November 2014. The company will release 2.6 billion shares, 30 percent of its enlarged capital, to the public. General Director of Soechi Lines, Go Darmadi, said that shares will be offered at a price of between IDR 600 and 800 per share. Half of the proceeds will be spent on capital expenditure (capex), while the remainder will be used for debt repayment and operational costs.

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Although stock indices on Wall Street were up on Thursday (23/10) on strong corporate earnings (including Caterpillar and 3M) and economic data (US hiring as well as business’ surveys in Europe that suggest the region may avoid slipping back into a recession), it failed to push emerging market stocks higher on Friday (24/10). Indonesia’s benchmark stock index fell 0.60 percent to 5,073.07. Meanwhile, the Indonesian rupiah exchange rate depreciated 0.05 percent to IDR 12,069 per US dollar (Bloomberg Dollar Index).

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On 13 July 2014, Indonesia Investments released the latest edition of its newsletter. This free newsletter, which is sent to our subscribers once per week, contains the most important news stories from Indonesia that have been reported on our website in the last seven days. Most of the topics involve political and economic topics such as the presidential election, an analysis of the interest rate environment, car sales, IPOs on the Indonesia Stock Exchange, a tender announcement, and more.

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After the companies Sitara Propertindo and Bank Dinar Indonesia were listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) on Friday (11/07), the total number of listed Indonesian companies has now reached 502. This year so far, there have been 18 Indonesian companies that conducted an initial public offering (IPO) on the IDX. Ito Warsito, General Director of the IDX, said that he is optimistic that this year’s target of 30 newly listed Indonesian companies will be achieved by the year-end.

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After a trading week that was characterized by high gains in the stock and financial markets on optimism that Joko Widodo (Jokowi) will become the next president of Indonesia, both the Indonesian rupiah exchange rate and benchmark Jakarta Composite Index fell today (11/07). This seems an obvious sign that the euphoria about a Jokowi win has waned and investors are looking again to the true economic fundamentals of Southeast Asia’s largest economy. By 13:00 pm local Jakarta time, the Jakarta Composite Index had fallen 1.66 percent.

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Rising American stock indices on Wednesday provided solid support for stock indices around Asia the following day, including Indonesia's main index (IHSG). Amid this global positivity, market players were eager to add stocks to their portfolios. News from Japan, China and the Indonesian central bank's announcement to maintain its low benchmark interest rate were well-received, particularly by domestic market players. It made the IHSG rise to 4,924.26, a 0.96 percent gain.

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Although most Asian stock indices went up on Wednesday (10 April 2013), the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IHSG) could not cling on to their movement. In fact, even the main index of South Korea, a country plagued by political tensions, reported a rise. The IHSG was not able to follow suit due to investors' profit taking. Foreign market participants recorded a net sell, particularly Indonesia's blue chip stocks, which caused the index to end at 4,877.48, a 0.45 percent fall.

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On Monday, the Dow Jones Index gained as corporate results of Q1-2013 are estimated to be good. This subsequently had a positive impact on Asian stock indices on Tuesday, including Indonesia's main index (IHSG). Moreover, positive news from both Australia and China were well-received as well as the higher metal price (reflected by Hong Kong's rising Hang Seng Index). Amid this positivity, investors took the opportunity to enlarge their stock portfolios.

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Last week Friday, American stock markets were not able to maintain a positive trend due to Nonfarm Payrolls that increased below expectation. Moreover, concerns about a spreading bird flu epidemic in China in combination with increased political tensions in Korea impacted on Monday's trading day (8 April 2013) of the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IHSG). The index had to absorb a sell-off, thus closing lower to 4,897.52, an 0.58 percent decline.

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The Indonesia Stock Exchange (IHSG) experienced a mixed week. At the start of the week, the index rose, but towards the end of the week it weakened, although ending in the green on Friday. Recently, the IHSG has hit record levels, and this makes market participants worried that the index might fall in case there emerge negative market sentiments. These concerns are what made the index turn away from the next psychological boundary: 5,000 points.

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On Thursday 4 April 2013, market players were hoping that the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IHSG) would climb beyond the psychological level of 5,000. However, the presence of negative market sentiments - and the overbought condition of the IHSG - were used as reasons to engage in profit taking. It consequently pushed down Indonesia's main financial market indicator to the level of 4,922.61, an 1.18 percent fall compared to Wednesday's trading day.

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Despite positive results of monthly US Factory Orders and Economic Optimism, it did not support Asian stock markets up to the end of Wednesday's trading day. The Indonesia Stock Exchange (IHSG), on the other hand, maintained its upward movement to reach 4,981.47, a 0.49 percent gain. Matters that supported the IHSG's performance to yet another new record high level, were well-received 2012 company reports as well as expected dividend payouts.

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Usually, news about inflation is not well-received by market participants. Particularly when inflation turns out to be higher than expected. This time, however, something interesting happened in Indonesia. Although the country's March inflation rate was high (5.90 percent year-on-year), it was not followed up by a negative response of market players. In fact, the inflation rate seems to have strengthened the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IHSG), which gained 0.40 percent on Tuesday.

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With a number of important global stock exchanges still closed due to Easter, it seemed that the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IHSG) lacked a reference point to which it could cling. It is also likely that market participants have already consumed most of the 2012 corporate company reports and are therefore not waiting for new data of listed companies. Moreover, today's announcement of the relative high inflation rate of March did not support the IHSG either.

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This column is the first in a series of columns about investing in Indonesia, in particular about investing in its capital markets. These columns are written by David Sutyanto, research analyst at First Asia Capital, and - as this column is the starting point - he will provide a short and broad outline of the Indonesian capital markets for now. Later, his columns will contain topics that delve more deeply into the capital markets, such as listed companies, and much more.

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