{"text":[[{"start":11,"text":"MSCI has delayed a decision on whether to downgrade Indonesia to a frontier market, citing the need to further evaluate reforms set out by regulators to address investability concerns in south-east Asia’s largest economy."}],[{"start":25.4,"text":"The global index provider also retained South Korea’s classification as an emerging market on Tuesday, frustrating the country’s decades-long effort to be moved into the developed-market category."}],[{"start":36.75,"text":"MSCI had warned in January it could downgrade Indonesia from emerging market over issues with high shareholding concentration and opaque ownership, factors that it said undermined proper price formation in equity markets."}],[{"start":50.75,"text":"While Indonesia’s efforts to address the shortcomings “represent a step in the right direction, what matters for international institutional investors is the consistent implementation and sustained effect of these measures across the market”, the index provider said on Tuesday."}],[{"start":64.45,"text":"“MSCI will continue to assess their scope, consistency and sustained effectiveness in the context of free-float determination and broader investability assessments,” it said, adding that a reclassification to frontier market was possible if sufficient progress was not evident by November."}],[{"start":82.05000000000001,"text":"The postponement of the decision is likely to increase uncertainty in Indonesian equities, which have been battered since the first MSCI warning. The risk of a downgrade, which could trigger billions of dollars in outflows, has added to growing investor concerns over President Prabowo Subianto’s macroeconomic policies."}],[{"start":101.30000000000001,"text":"Indonesia’s main stock index has lost 30 per cent of its value this year and is the world’s worst-performing equity market. The rupiah, which has fallen more than 7 per cent this year, is trading near all-time lows."}],[{"start":114.9,"text":"The Jakarta Composite index dropped another 1.6 per cent on Wednesday."}],[{"start":120.05000000000001,"text":"In response to MSCI’s warning in January, regulators doubled the requirement for minimum free float — the portion of stocks available for public trading — to 15 per cent, giving companies up to three years to comply."}],[{"start":133.45000000000002,"text":"They have also imposed stricter rules on shareholder disclosures, requiring public reporting of stakes above 1 per cent, down from the previous 5 per cent."}],[{"start":142.8,"text":"Analysts, however, have cautioned that some companies could choose to delist instead of comply."}],[{"start":149.10000000000002,"text":"Investors said the issues flagged by MSCI had been prevalent in the country for a long time and gone unaddressed by authorities."}],[{"start":156.60000000000002,"text":"Some investors have pointed to issues with tycoon-owned stocks in particular, as they are tightly controlled through discreet nominees, leaving minority shareholders in a much weaker position."}],[{"start":166.90000000000003,"text":"After the January warning, MSCI removed 18 Indonesian stocks from its global indices, including many owned by tycoons. Last week, it also changed its assessment of Indonesia’s “information flow” to negative from positive."}],[{"start":181.95000000000005,"text":"On South Korea, MSCI acknowledged the country’s reform efforts but said it had yet to resolve several key hurdles against foreign investors, including the absence of a fully convertible offshore won market and lingering inefficiencies in short selling settlement mechanisms."}],[{"start":198.05000000000004,"text":"South Korea, which is on track to be the world’s best-performing major stock market for a second year on the back of an AI boom, is widely seen as a developed economy given its size and market liquidity."}],[{"start":210.75000000000003,"text":"It has already secured developed-market status from other benchmark providers such as FTSE Russell and S&P Dow Jones, but MSCI has kept the country in its emerging-market index since 1992."}],[{"start":223.85000000000002,"text":"The index provider put South Korea on its watchlist for developed-market consideration in 2008 but removed the country in 2014, citing restrictions on currency trading and other regulatory concerns."}],[{"start":237.40000000000003,"text":"Seoul on Wednesday pledged to continue foreign exchange and capital market reform efforts in pursuit of an MSCI upgrade. The Kospi rose 3.2 per cent."}],[{"start":253.90000000000003,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1782278567_7956.mp3"}