INDONESIAN STOCKS CLOSE LOWER ON REGIONAL BOURSE LOSSES

Jakarta, Nov. 25 (ANTARA) - Indonesian stocks closed lower in the morning trading session here on Wednesday on regional bourse losses.

The Composite Stock Price Index (IHSG) at the Indonesian Stock Exchange (BEI) declined 6.80 points or 0.27 percent to the level of 2,465.09 points.

A number of negative reports had caused the BEI index to drop, according to Krisna Dwi Setiawan, a research analyst of PT Valbury Asia Securities.

The domestic stock market was among other things affected by a fall at the Hong Kong bourse, he said.

At Asian regional bourses, the Hang Seng index declined 41.23 points or 0.18 percent to 22,381.91 points, while the Nikkei 225 index gained 7.78 points or 0.49 percent to 9,447 points.

In morning trading at the BEI, 93 stocks lost, 43 advanced and 67 remained static. The trade volume reached a total of 2.350 billion shares of 48,884 transactions worth Rp 1.557 trillion.

Among top losers were Indocement (INTP) shares that plunged Rp 150 to Rp 11,600, Astra International (ASII) shares that lost Rp 100 to Rp 33,250, Gudang Garam (GGRM) shares that went down Rp 100 to Rp 16,900, Bumi Resources (BUMI) shares that fell Rp 100 to Rp 2,525.

In morning trading, the BEI index opened 7.638 points or 0.31 percent higher to 2,479.523 and the LQ-45 index surged 1.890 points or 0.39 percent to 489.888 points.

Investors bought small-cap shares of, among other things, BCA, BNI, Telkom, Bumi and Medco, believed to be still profitable, he said.

Meanwhile, the rupiah in the Jakarta interbank spot market on Wednesday morning traded Rp9,460-Rp9,475 per US dollar, up 15 points from Rp9,475-Rp9,490 at the market close a day earlier.