BEI INDEX OPENS SLIGHTLY LOWER

Jakarta, Oct. 5 (ANTARA) - The Composite Stock Price Index (IHSG) at the Indonesian Stock Exchange (BEI) here on Monday morning opened lower on Astra, bank and telecommunication share falls.

The BEI index plunged 15.586 points or 0.67 percent to 2,463.92 points, and the LQ-45 index weakened 4.207 points or 0.86 percent to 483.094 points.

Investors were still following developments related to the consecutive earthquakes which had hit West Sumatra, Jambi (both on Sumatra Island) and Gorontalo (northern Sulawesi), Alfiansyah, a stock broker of PT Sinarmas Securities, said here on Monday.

Only a small number of investors played in the capital market, as many might have left for Padang, the capital of West Sumatra, to see relatives who might have become victims of the deadly 7.6-magnitude earthquake, he said.

The Indonesian stocks still had a chance to move upward again of there would be a positive sentiment, he said.

Astra International shares fell Rp600 to Rp32,000, United Tractor shares weakened Rp200 to Rp15,000, and Astra Agro Lestrari shares dropped Rp350 to Rp20,600.

Telecommunication industry shares went down Rp100 to Rp8,400, Indosat shares plunged Rp50 to Rp5,400, Bank BCA shares slumped 150 points, and Danamon shares slided Rp75.

Wall Street falls also affected regional bourses. South Korean shares started weaker Monday as falls in U.S markets dented investor sentiment, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) sank 30.51 points, or 1.86 percent, to 1,614.12 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Last Friday, U.S. markets closed lower as weak unemployment data deepened investor suspicions about a recovery. The Dow Jones industrial average finished 0.23 percent lower and the tech-laden Nasdaq composite index declined 0.46 percent.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian currency traded at Rp9,555-9,565 per US dollar, up 75 points from Rp9,630-Rp9,645 at the market's close last weekend.