Updated
Updated · Business Insider Africa · Jul 8
Ninety One Buys Indonesian Stocks After 35% Slump as $29 Billion Manager Turns Contrarian
Updated
Updated · Business Insider Africa · Jul 8

Ninety One Buys Indonesian Stocks After 35% Slump as $29 Billion Manager Turns Contrarian

2 articles · Updated · Business Insider Africa · Jul 8

Summary

  • Johannesburg-based Ninety One has started buying Indonesian equities, arguing a 35%-plus dollar selloff has pushed valuations to attractive levels.
  • Indonesia’s Jakarta Composite is the weakest among 92 Bloomberg-tracked indexes this year after foreign investors fled on geopolitical risk and liquidity concerns.
  • MSCI intensified the pressure in January by warning Indonesia could lose emerging-market status because many listed companies have too few freely tradable shares.
  • The bet marks a rare case of African capital moving aggressively outside the continent, with Ninety One seeking recovery potential in a market global investors have largely abandoned.
  • Whether the trade pays off now hinges on Indonesia restoring investor confidence and easing the investability concerns that drove the rout.

Insights

Is this South African fund's bet on Indonesia's collapsing market a stroke of genius or a catastrophic miscalculation?
Are MSCI's warnings a smokescreen for deeper investor fears about President Prabowo's high-spending economic policies?
As Vietnam earns its market upgrade, can Indonesia's reforms stop a $13 billion capital flight before November's deadline?