Job Discussion Forums

[rayman]

Just wondering, anyone here dabble on the Jakarta Stock Exchange?

I trade the ASX through an Australian broker, but can also buy international shares. Given the growth potential in so many industries here combined with the massive declines in world markets, there must be plenty of bargains for the astute investor. I'm thinking freeway/toll roads, infrstructure, mining...the list goes on.

Problem of course being, the difficulty in obtaining transparent, trustworthy and extensive company research data.

Anyone here have the know how on where to access some data (in English), whether it be through a brokerage firm, magazines, internet etc.?

On second thoughts, maybe I should ditch the research and put 10 grand on anything bearing the name 'Bakrie'



Cheers

[TEAM_PAPUA]

I wish I had invested in Indomie rather than blowing all my money on Adam Air, and my EF stock is falling rapidly due to negative publicity on this forum.

I cannot answer your question, Rayman. But perhaps you can help me regarding insurance/life insurance/saving for one's future: who to trust?

[malu]

JSX must be worth a punt if you have money you can afford to lose. Some years ago I did a project with some students who had an imaginary amount of capital to invest. They chose a basket of shares and tracked them weekly for 2 months. Had they been playing with real money, one group would have lost tens of millions in that short time but a few other groups showed a very tidy profit.

Bakrie shares have done rather well under the present administration but much will depend on who is sitting in the Istana Negri after the next election. His Lapindo Brantas outfit managed to cause the largest volcanic mud disaster in recorded history without coming anywhere close to bankruptcy, and they even got some kind of care-for-the-environment and CSR gong recently.

'It's getting peculiarer and peculiarer', said Alice.

[rayman]

[malu]

I keep what money I have in the UK and don't know much about investent products here.

Loan products and credit cards in Indonesia are a mixed bunch, however, and the market seems to operate in a different way. Interest rates on all credit cards I have seen are so high that you'd only ever use them as charge cards and pay off the balance in full each month.

Once upon a time any gold credit card would let you into the better domestic airport lounges but I've noticed those kind of benefits being whittled away in recent years. Because I do a bit of domestic travel on Garuda I switched to their Citibank co-brand credit card which has the same extortionate interest rates as all the rest but it gets me lounge access and extra luggage allowance. The air miles earned aren't that useful because you can never find a flight they can be used on unless you travel at 5am on Wednesdays when there is no R in the month.

[Yr of Living Dangerously]

Being dissatisfied with the poor interest rates for $A or $US bank accounts, I decided to park a bit of money in a local managed fund through Commonwealth Bank at the end of last year.

Of course, it has lost some value since then, but CB do a good job of giving up to date information on minimum investment, fees, performance, etc. You can't take the fee structure info sheet with you, but they publish performance data online here (some Indonesian required):
http://www.commbank.co.id/upublic/mod_home/default_content.aspx?code=ci_factsheet
Most are in Rp, but a few are $US. If you like the look of one, type the name of that managed fund into Google and that should point you to a factsheet.

While you have to be an existing CB customer to use it, that is only Rp500 000 for a Rupiah account.

One more important thing to consider:
Even though the value in Rp may increase over time, it may not actually increase in your desired currency over time. As an example, $A1 = Rp8000 now, 30% less than four years ago when $A1 = Rp6000. So if you plan to return to your home country one day, the performance would have to be greater to cancel that out.

[malu]

I suspect now might be the time to pick up some very cheap bargains o the JSX - if it were open...

[southern blue-fin]

Hi R
I trade with a CMC Markets (see: www.cmcmarkets.com.au) live trading platform - ideal for the English teacher with a laptop who is a novice/enthusiast trader of world markets. You can co-ordinate your trading around your schedule, e.g., trade US markets or Aussie markets, or Hong Kong, etc.

I started with a AUD$1,000 account - and am getting results using indicators, e.g., momentum, divergence. I've found it to be a great hobby - maybe one day it will be all I do.

Take care

[rayman]

Hi Blue fin,

Thanks for the tip. Sounds interesting

What are the brokerage fee like with CMC? Also, does it link easily with any bank account?

I've been using commsec for the last couple of years, which is fine for the ASX. But brokerage fees are a ridiculous $150 per transaction for the JSX.

I've also heard good things about Interactive Brokers. You're able to trade stocks, options, CFD's and forex all with the one account and seemingly reasonable fees. So may look into them too.

Cheers

[southern blue-fin]

Thanks R
I should've also mentioned that CMC Markets deal in CFDs only. I've been trading indexes such as the S & P 500 and US30 in New York, and also the FTSE in London - as time zone differences permit. There are no commission fees involved in index trading. I'm a novice but the fees for trading share CFDs seem reasonable. In regards to Asia, you can trade Japan and Hong Kong but not JSX.

Cheers

[parrothead]

I've been using www.sharebuilder.com for some time now, and have been able to invest in emerging markets via exchange trade funds (ETFs). I find it safer (and less stressful) than investing in too many single stocks in developing countries. But you can do that too if you wish. $4USD per trade. Not too shabby.