Thursday, October 13, 2011

Indonesia to Reintroduce Stock Options Trading Next Year

The Indonesia Stock Exchange plans to reintroduce stock-option trading next year to lure investors as it aims to double market capitalization by 2015, according to a director at the bourse.

Options may begin as soon as the end of June, pending the completion of a new trading system and a revision to rules on derivatives, Friderica Widyasari Dewi, director of business development at PT Bursa Efek Indonesia, which runs the exchange, said in an interview.

The bourse introduced options in 2004, then shut them down in 2006 because of weak demand, Widyasari said. Trading was thin partly because the bourse capped profits on options to keep volatility in check, she said.

“We don’t want to make the same mistake again,” Widyasari said in Jakarta on Oct. 12. “We will focus on foreign investors and institutional investors, who have a need for hedging.”

New products may help the bourse, Southeast Asia's third- largest after Singapore and Malaysia with a market capitalization of $369 billion, attract more investors. Indonesia’s economy is forecast by the government to expand this year at the fastest pace since 1996, boosting demand from companies for funding.

Overseas investors bought a net $1.91 billion of Indonesian equities this year through yesterday, down from $1.96 billion in the same period last year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

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Sunday, October 2, 2011

Philippine bourse starts extended trading

MANILA, Oct 3 (Reuters) - Trades at the Philippine Stock Exchange will be extended by an hour beginning Monday, part of a two-phase programme by the bourse as it prepares to link up with other Southeast Asian markets.

Trading will now run up to 1:00 p.m. [0500 GMT] in the local bourse, which has one of the shortest trading sessions in Asia. Previously, the stock market was open only for 2-1/2 hours, from 9:30 a.m. up to 12 noon [0130 to 0400 GMT], excluding a 10-minute run off period.

Trading hours will be stretched further from January 2, 2012 with trading to run up to 3:30 p.m. [0730 GMT], including a break from 12pm to 1:30 p.m. [0530 GMT].

Philippine stocks have fallen about 5 percent this year, mirroring falls in other regional equities markets, as concerns over the European debt crisis and a faltering U.S. economy prompt investors to trim risky investments in emerging markets.

Cross-border trading among Southeast Asian markets is set to be launched in March 2012. The Thai bourse , Singapore Exchange , Bursa Malaysia and the PSE are currently working to set up a regional trading network.

The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations plans to transform itself into a unified trading bloc with free flow of capital by 2015.

The region also includes Indonesia, Cambodia, Brunei Darussalam, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. (Reporting by Erik dela Cruz; Editing by Rosemarie Francisco)

Source: Yahoo