(April 21): Indonesian equities slid after MSCI Inc extended its market status review to June to assess regulatory reforms and warned it would remove major stocks with tightly-held ownership from its indices.
The benchmark Jakarta Composite Index fell as much as 1.1%, the worst performer in Asia, with tycoon-linked stocks PT Barito Renewables Energy and PT Dian Swastatika Sentosa among the worst drags. Both were down more than 9% each on Tuesday, after the index compiler said in a statement that it would exclude securities flagged under Indonesia’s new high shareholding concentration framework.
MSCI also said it’s reviewing the scope, consistency and effectiveness of new data sources and measures related to investability and shares available for public trading.
The announcement comes amid investor concerns that’s been brewing for months following MSCI’s January warning of a possible downgrade to frontier status due to investability concerns and limited free float. The warning had triggered a stock rout, resignations of key market officials and a series of market reforms.
“MSCI is effectively keeping Indonesia in a holding pattern, which means no incremental passive inflows for now,” said Mohit Mirpuri, a partner at SGMC Capital Pte Ltd, adding that the update is largely neutral, with a slight negative bias in the near term.
See also: BlackRock to launch quant fund trading Singapore stocks — Bloomberg
As a result of the one-month extension, previously announced measures such as freezing index additions will continue. MSCI also said it would use new disclosure data to adjust free-float estimates.
Officials have ramped up a broader set of reforms in recent months such as doubling minimum float levels to 15%, with a phase-in period of up to three years for some companies, to avert a downgrade. The Indonesia Stock Exchange has also named nine firms with more than 95% of shares held by a small group of investors to boost ownership-transparency standards. Companies identified include MSCI Indonesia Index constituents Barito Renewables and Dian Swastatika.
Barito Renewables said its shareholder structure has been unchanged since its 2023 listing and that it remains compliant with disclosure and free-float requirements. A representative for Dian Swastatika did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
See also: Indonesia rupiah rises most in six months, stocks gain in reopen
In a statement, the bourse’s acting chief executive Jeffrey Hendrik said it would continue communicating with index providers as well as with global investors “to get inputs for future capital market strengthening”.
“This may look like a relief, but it also means that MSCI is asking if that’s all authorities are going to do,” said John Foo, a founder of Valverde Investment Partners. “MSCI wants the regulator to fast track free float reforms.”
Uncertainty ahead of the May decision had pushed many market participants to the sidelines, with investors citing the overhang from potential outflows. Coupled with concerns over policy direction and the fallout from the Iran war, the benchmark Jakarta Composite Index had tumbled to become the world’s worst-performing major gauge this year.
Global investors have pulled more than US$2 billion ($2.54 billion) from the nation’s stock market this year, the most among Southeast Asian peers.
“Investors view the postponement as a temporary reprieve and that Indonesia is still on ‘probation’,” said Francis Tan, Asia chief strategist at Indosuez Wealth in Singapore. While near-term uncertainties persist, “longer term, I believe this provides more time for policymakers and the ‘path to redemption’ still remains open”.
Uploaded by Chng Shear Lane
