The European Central Bank’s decision to introduce a 60 million euro per month bond-buying program (quantitative easing) up to September 2016 - a move to boost the Eurozone economy - has caused positive sentiments in Indonesia as increased global liquidity is expected to benefit emerging markets. The benchmark stock index of Indonesia rose 1.35 percent hence hitting a new all-time high at 5,323.88 points. Meanwhile, the rupiah appreciated 0.23 percent to IDR 12,459 per US dollar based on the Bloomberg Dollar Index.

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Indonesian investment fund managers may be allowed to include foreign assets in their mutual funds (conventional and Islamic-based mutual funds), offered to investors, soon. Indonesia’s Financial Services Authority (Otoritas Jasa Keuangan, abbreviated OJK) is currently formulating new regulations - expected to be finalized by June 2015 - that would allow to include foreign assets in an attempt to reduce risks by diversifying mutual fund portfolios. Indonesian investment managers had been requesting for this new regulation.

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Indonesian tobacco giant Hanjaya Mandala Sampoerna (HM Sampoerna), subsidiary of Philip Morris International, is studying the requirement to increase its free float ratio from (a mere) 1.82 percent to 7.50 percent. Last year, the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) announced that it would force listed companies to offer at least 7.50 percent of their enlarged equity to the public. This rule will come into effect in January 2016. HM Sampoerna is the third-largest Indonesian company in terms of market capitalization (IDR 295 trillion).

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Bank Yudha Bhakti, an Indonesian commercial bank, made its trading debut on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) on Tuesday (13/01). Shares of the small-sized lender immediately soared nearly 70 percent. The bank, which is listed under the code BBYD, offered 300 million shares (11.9 percent of its equity) to the public for a price of IDR 115 per share thus raising IDR 34.5 billion (USD $2.8 million). The initial public offering (IPO) of Bank Yudha Bhakti is the first IPO on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2015.

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Three Indonesian companies are expected to conduct an initial public offering (IPO) on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) in the first quarter of 2015. These companies are Bank Yudha Bhakti, Mitra Keluarga and Mitra Energi Persada. Hoesen, Director of Corporate Valuation at the IDX, said that the listing of Mitra Energi Persada (an oil, gas and coal distributor) is actually a re-listing as the company had de-listed from the Exchange in 2007. The company is expected to offer 11 percent of its enlarged equity to the public.

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In terms of market capitalization, the largest listed company on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) is now Bank Central Asia (BCA). BCA, Indonesia’s second largest bank by assets, managed to surpass HM Sampoerna and Astra International at the end of 2014 with a value of IDR 320 trillion (USD $26.6 billion), or 6.1 percent of total market capitalization of the IDX (IDR 5,228 trillion). Despite tougher conditions in Indonesia’s financial sector (amid a higher interest rate environment) shares of BCA rose 36.7 percent in 2014.

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Bank Yudha Bhakti, an Indonesian commercial bank, is preparing an initial public offering (IPO) on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX). The company will offer 300 million shares, or 11.9 percent of its enlarged equity, to the public and plans to raise IDR 34.5 billion (USD $2.8 million) as it offers the shares at IDR 115 per piece. The offering starts between 5 and 7 January 2015, while listing at the IDX is planned for 13 January 2015. Underwriters for the IPO are Semesta Indovest and Equator Securities.

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Gold miner Archi Indonesia, unit of the Rajawali Corpora Group, decided to postpone its initial public offering (IPO) on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) due to the sluggish global economy resulting in the weak global gold price (which is currently touching four-year lows). Archi Indonesia’s IPO was planned to be held this December and was estimated to be the largest IPO on the IDX in 2014 in terms of capital raised (roughly USD $285 million), exceeding the value of taxi operator Blue Bird’s IPO earlier this year.

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A total of six Indonesian companies are expected to conduct an initial public offering (IPO) on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) in December 2014. Today (Wednesday 03/12), shipping company Soechi Lines made its trading debut, raising around IDR 582.5 billion (USD $48 million) by offering 1 billion new shares, or 15 percent of the company’s enlarged capital, to the public. The company’s shares surged as much as 27 percent after the opening. It was the 20th company to list on the IDX in 2014.

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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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The week ended well for both the Indonesian rupiah exchange rate and the benchmark Jakarta Composite Index (IHSG). Based on the Bloomberg Dollar Index, the rupiah appreciated 0.30 percent to IDR 11,413 per US dollar at the end of Friday's trading day (16/05). Meanwhile, the IHSG surged 0.80 percent to finish just above the psychological level of 5,000 points. The good performance was supported by investors' positive response towards the latest political developments in Indonesia.

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The benchmark stock index of Indonesia - known as the Jakarta Composite Index or IHSG - rose 0.17 percent to 4,921.39 points on Tuesday (13/05), impacted by investors' reaction to positive earnings reports of Indonesian coal miners in the first quarter of 2014. Today, foreign investors recorded net buying of IDR 64 billion (USD $5.6 million) and accounted for 31 percent of trading activity. However, investors remain cautious ahead of the presidential election that is scheduled for 9 July 2014 and wait for more clarity about the (vice) presidential candidates that will compete.

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ICRA Indonesia, an independent credit rating agency and subsidiary of ICRA Ltd. (associate of Moody's Investors Service), publishes a monthly newsletter which provides an update on the financial and economic developments in Indonesia of the last month. In the April 2014 edition, a number of important topics that are monitored include Indonesia's inflation rate, the trade balance, the BI rate, the IDR rupiah exchange rate, and gross domestic product (GDP) growth. Below is an excerpt of the newsletter:

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Contrary to most Asian stock indices, the benchmark stock index of Indonesia (known as IHSG or the Jakarta Composite Index) declined on Thursday (08/05). Positive sentiments that were provided by the BI rate (Indonesia's benchmark interest rate) that was kept at 7.50% in today's Bank Indonesia Board of Governors' Meeting, and China's higher-than-expected trade balance in April 2014 (USD $18.5 billion), were offset by the depreciating rupiah exchange rate and foreign net selling of Indonesian stocks. The IHSG fell 0.02 percent to 4,860.89 points.

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Completely opposite to our expectations, the benchmark stock index of Indonesia (known as the Jakarta Composite Index or IHSG) managed to climb 0.57 percent to 4,862.02 points on Wednesday (07/05). The gain was unexpected as there were no clear factors that could provide positive market sentiments. Moreover, today's Asian stock indices were mostly down. Coincidence or not, tomorrow Bank Indonesia will announce whether its benchmark interest rate (BI rate) - currently set at 7.50 percent - will be changed or maintained.

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As I have mentioned before, Indonesia's benchmark stock index (better known as the Jakarta Composite Index or IHSG) runs the risk of declining amid a lack of domestic or external positive market sentiments. Despite the indices on Wall Street being up on the higher than expected markit services PMI as well as ISM-non manufacturing PMI, it was unable to uplift sentiments in Jakarta. Market participants seem to wait & see in the first week of May 2014, evidenced by the reduced trading volume and value of transactions.

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Indonesia Investments presents a selection of corporate earnings reports (covering the first quarter of 2014) of Indonesian companies that are listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX), categorized by sector: (1) agriculture and mining, (2) basic industry and chemicals, (3) miscellaneous industry, (4) consumer goods, (5) property and real estate, (6) infrastructure, utilities and transportation, (7) finance, and (8) trade, services and investment. The tables display both net profit (loss) and revenues, together with year-on-year (yoy) growth.

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The benchmark Indonesia stock index (IHSG or Jakarta Composite Index) moved sideways on Monday's trading day (05/05) influenced by Indonesia's disappointing GDP growth result in the first quarter of 2014 in combination with mixed Asian stock indices. At the start of the day, the index was up as investors believed that the Q1-2014 GDP growth result would be in line with expectations. However, after Statistics Indonesia announced the growth rate, the IHSG fell, although stayed in the green zone.

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Mostly declining Asian stock indices, led by Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index (HSI) and the Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite, had a negative influence on the performance of Indonesia's benchmark stock index (known as the Jakarta Composite Index or IHSG) on Wednesday (23/04). Moreover, today's sharp rupiah depreciation contributed to the 0.10 percent decline to 4,893.15 points. Based on the Bloomberg Dollar Index, the Indonesian rupiah exchange rate depreciated 0.94 percent to 11,630 per US dollar.

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Despite sharp rupiah depreciation and generally falling Asian stock indices, the benchmark stock index of Indonesia (Jakarta Composite Index or IHSG) managed to climb 0.12 percent to 4,898.21 points on Tuesday (22/04). Factors that contributed to push the IHSG into green territory were dividend payment announcements and optimism regarding companies' financial performances in the first quarter of 2014. Foreign investors accounted for 34 percent of today’s total trading, recording net buying of IDR 1 trillion (USD $87.7 million).

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