Singaporeans and Indonesians are at their final straw.
An open letter is circulating around Singapore from Dr Patrick Liew directed at the President of Indonesia.
"Thank you for cutting gas exports to Singapore on Saturday."
Thank you for "motivating our leaders" to hold inventories.
For "compelling us to diversify."
Thank you for the energy minister's threat which "has taught us and the rest of the world to be wiser and more vigilant when we do business with and in your country."
"Thank you for sacrificing your reputation and the credibility of your nation to show us what we should not do in the global economy."
Well, Saudi Arabia plans to store crude in Singapore's Jurong Rock Caverns from mid 2027, because Singapore offers "stability, security, incorruptibility, safety, and predictability."
Indonesian accounts are asking their folowers whether this has "valid points for our self-reflection."
The truth is, if you strip out MSCI's trackers and every foreign fund, Trimegah Research estiamtes that the Indonesian stock index would be 30% lower than it is now.
Well MSCI decides by 30 June 2026 and Indonesia's government is spending that time writing threats.
Act accordingly.
This has to be a crime. Bayan Resources is one of Indonesia's biggest coal miners and one of its most expensive stocks.
Why? Almost nobody can by it.
The founder is Sinagpore-born and his daughter owned over 60%. This month they sold 30.25% to Jhonlin Baratama (a coal tycoon) for Rp26.1 trillion.
That equates to around Rp2,588 a share.
Do you want to know what the share price yesterday?
Fucking Rp12,275. He basically sold it at a 79% DISCOUNT, and the exchange is asking why.
Basically, the price of a stock that barely trades is held up by a super tiny float. And a DEAL PRICE is what a REAL buyer pays for a REAL block.
This is literally why MSCI wants to downgrade Indonesia. 4/5 of the market value was total bogus.
Apparently Mandiri financed the purchase with about Rp40 trillion of credit near its single-borrower limit, against shares. They did this after meeting Prabowo privately at his house lol.
If these claims are right, our dividend bank raised $750 million in September and lent about $2 billion this month... To a crony coal deal at a price the exchange is querying.
This is what a squeeze from the inside looks like. And something we'd sell on.
Regardless, a 15% gain in a week is not too bad. Risk profile is bad.
Our post outlined all of these risks before hand.
Act accordingly.
WTF? Indonesia just threatened to cut Singapore's connectivity.
Basically, last night Indonesia's digital minister (@meutya_hafid) said "we needn't be angry. The submarine cable systems that land in Singapore don't arrive there suddenly. Most of their route runs through Indonesian waters. If cut, or severed, 80% of Singapore's connectivity capacity is also threatened with paralysis" (translated).
Anyone with a brain understands the intention here. Sure, hedge your words by saying no need for anger.
Would someone promoting safety tell their population exactly how to disable Singapore's internet access?
Please, let's hear the answer.
I mean, I objectively understand why Iranian officials told Reuters that if attacked, "there will be no more red lines from undersea cables to military bases." That's a state at WAR describing a WEAPON.
But Indonesia isn't at war with Singapore. It just has a stock market MSCI wants to expel.
But for some reason, the minister is incentivising the same tactic theyre using in war.
Insane.
Incredible. Today the Indonesian stock market was down 3%.
The Rupiah also reached a record low against the dollar.
And their 10-year government bond? The HIGHEST in 4 years, 7.45%.
The richest individuals behind Indonesia's most valuable companies have loast nearly $57 billion since MSCI's first warning in January.
They're calling this the worst wealth transfer in Indonesia's history.
The selloff today seems to be mainly from oil being $115. When you're an importer like Indonesia, you get hit hard. And you get hit even harder if you add on a proposal for free education.
Indonesia's policies seem to be just more spending and less revenue.
So the index is now falling on the budget, and MSCI's verdict is still 8 months away.
If the Rupiah breaks here, Indonesia could seriously be fucked...
Let's watch.
You might be wondering why MSCI is so important to Indonesia.
Basically, MSCI sorts the world's stock markets into certain lists.
And essentially, "Emerging" is the category that trillions of index dollars buy into.
Now, if you get demoted down to "Standalone", well, the index dollars won't have to buy you. Which is where they want to send Indonesia's market.
Since 1997 only three markets have been demoted straight from Emerging to Standalone (skipping the mid tier).
Those three were Venezuela (2006, capital controls), Argentina (2021, capital controls), Russia (2022, war).
And historically, they don't come back for a while.
So Indonesia is that proposed fourth.
Do you know what Prabowo's response to that was?
Indonesia "is not afraid of anyone and will not be intimidated."
Well Prabowo should probably heed MSCI's warning (h/t FT).
When you look at those three countries that got demoted, you might be asking what they had in common with Indonesia.
Well, Indonesia is slowly building the infrastructure for capital control.
Let us look at the facts:
- this month they forced exporters to keep dollars in state banks
- they gave a state company the sole right to sell coal and palm oil abroad from January
- they cut Singapore's gas
When MSCI decides next June, they will take this into account.
Act accordingly.
Holy shit. Indonesia's stock exchange voted today...
The committee needed to decide which stocks count as "highly concentrated," to kick out.
They've chosen 80 NAMES which will now INCLUDE independent parties.
Basically until now its members were officials from the capital market authorities, and the 'independents' are Indonesian academics, and F. Champman Taylor, a former partner at Capital Group who "is currently an adviser to Indonesia's sovereign wealth fund, Danantara."
He was the representative of foreign investors btw.
Basically what is happening is this: Danantara is Indonesia's poor attempt of a sovereign wealth fund, they hold company stakes. And the 80 names are shells where a crime syndicate owns almost EVERYTHING (which is what MSCI doesn't like).
The committee then decides WHICH COMPANIES are shells - and the foreign investors' independent voice on this also works for the biggest shareholder in the market.
Essentially, from November the exchange will investigate suspected coordinated trading and can FREEZE investor accounts at will. THEN buybacks without shareholder votes will continue to June 2027.
In plain english: the state's adviser will help pick the list, then the exchange can freeze whomever they think is a culprit, and boards can buyback without asking.
This is quite literally just a scheme to hold the index up.
Do you seriously think MSCI is that naive?
Nothing will save Indonesia until they rid the corruption.
Incredible. When Trump left for Florida this friday he asked: "Do we want to finish Iran off or just want to let it wither?" And: "We are getting everything we want."
THEN, on Saturday after voting in Florida Trump was asked how far he was from attacking Iran.
What was his answer?
"We're thinking about doing it, and maybe tomorrow." Then: "Do you really think I'm going to tell you if I'm going to do it?"
That's Trump's whole strategy in a nutshell. A simple information obfuscator.
It really doesn't take much to realise he will just say anything to anyone whenever.
But when you look at what Iran is saying, you see a little more structure.
This weekend they were blaming USA for June's interim deal collapsing.
In fact, Iranian officials call reports of a Strait offer through Pakistan "a lie and fabrication."
The facts are simple. Today the IRGC shot down a US drone over Bandar Abbas (SoH main port).
To put it plainly, Iran denies offering a deal, shoots at drones, and plans to hit American staff.
And Trump thinks he's sly enough to say "wither" on Friday.
Well this week will have key events. Israel votes on Tuesday and the Fed meets on Tuesday.
Whoever you want to believe, NOBODY here is negotiating.
Act accordingly.
Wow. Outlets are absolutely grilling Indonesia's president Prabowo.
Let's look at the facts.
- The Indonesian market is down 40% this year
- The Rupiah is at its WEAKEST in 2 decades.
The Economist attributes this to Prabowo's "erratic rule," and a labour market that's "worse on his watch".
To be fair, you can't exactly disagree when there's been a structural falling of middle-class real wages and graduate unemployment.
Something that I found crazy was the claim that "party bosses are considering moves against him."
And that Prabowo won the elections "thanks only to the endorsement of his predecessor."
I have to agree with @Kathleen_Tyson_ on this one... The attack on the rupiah & the stock market does seem to be a preliminary to a regime change operation.
We looked into this quite extensively.
Everything points to destability. The plantation seizures, Danantara swallowing state companies, 2% patriot bonds, single state exporter from January.
And before you call out someone for this, I'll tell you now:
None of it was done by MSCI, Temasek or the CIA.
This was simply done by decree, in Jakarta, on the record.
But tbh I'd be weary of the whole 'regime change' narrative as it's easy to assume the selling stops when office changes. But honestly, the selling will only stop when the decrees do.
Read this post if you want to know about Indonesia.
tscsw.substack.com/p/indones…
Indonesia is no joke.
Remember a few days ago when their energy minister said he wouldn't hesitate to block exports to countries that "do not respect Indonesia"?
Well, yesterday he did it.
Indonesia has disclosed that they have cut 62 million cubic feet a day of gas to Singapore (from SKK Migas, Natuna and Sumatra).
If you didn't know the importance of this, let me briefly explain.
Singapore makes 95% of its electricity from gas. In 2025 almost HALF arrived by pipeline mostly from Indonesia.
Essentially it's the one lever Indonesia has over it's neighbours.
So what did Singapore have to say about this?
Well they claim that these won't affect energy prices that much in the short term and that the cut is less than 2% of daily demand.
Indonesia is attempting something I like to call 'maximum message, minimum leverage'.
The thing they don't realise is that their next buyer will learn from this.
Good luck.
Gold closed under $4,000 on Friday.
Yields down, dollar down, gold down…
Why?
The Fed meets Tuesday and Wednesday. And with oil at $116, things are looking sticky.
Gold does not pay interest, so when the market keeps on hiking, gold loses to the bond.
But there’s still some nuances…
Central banks bought 79 tonnes in August. And the 3-month average is 85 tonnes.
The price is currently a rate bet, with the physical commodity being bought up by governments 4x the old pace.
Then how do you make sense of all of this?
Well we answered with our latest article.
Everything comes down to patience.
tscsw.substack.com/p/why-gol…
Lol this is getting ridiculous.
Indonesia's fund, Danantara disclosed that they own 53% of BRI (the state bank that makes small loans).
And on Thursday, they announced a buyback of Rp1 trillion from 22 October to 21 January.
That equates to about 0.20% of its shares.
And in the terms, every stock bought goes to MESOP, the employee stock option plan.
Then the stock rebounded 14%.
So you'd assume it was due to the buyback, right?
Wrong, the day before the rebound, Indonesia freed over $10 billion of reserves for the SAME banks.
Basically Indonesia pumped the banks with money to keep them artificially high, with the payback being a staff bonus, if anything.
Crazy.
There are some insane accusations floating around Indonesia...
According to Indonesia's former trade minister, Temasek and GIC (Singapore's two state funds) have been "working behind the scenes" to get MSCI to downgrade Jakarta.
These are massive allegations.
Temasek replied affirming that these claims have "no basis", are "patently untrue" and "no one from Temasek has ever reached out to MSCI in order to influence any decisions."
GIC dismissed it too.
And remember when Indonesia said that they might not renew gas contracts? How neighbouring states shouldn't "come begging"?
Well yesterday Singapore asked 10 locally registered firms for information as it widens its probe into the Indonesian fires sending haze over SEA.
So basically, Jakarta went from "our market is full of shells" to "Singapore did this" in LESS THAN A WEEK!
I think we can agree that blaming a neighbour is what you do when you know you've fucked up.
Indonesia has truly failed its people.
TSCS retweeted
Refining margins peaked. Tanker rates peaked. Now every dollar rally in crude will eat into the other two segments until refining margins turn negative, and the vicious cycle begins.
You promised yourself you'd buy when it was $5,500.
Now you're silent when gold is below $4,000.
Make that make sense.
This is a generational opportunity.
This is crazy. If MSCI goes through with delisting Indonesia, about $5.6 billion leaves their stocks.
That's almost 20 days of normal trading volume (Goldman Sachs).
If FTSE follows suit, it's another $2.7 billion.
What's interesting is that Jakarta is up 4% in the last few days, and our call on Mandiri is up almost 20%.
Why?
Basically, Goldman's huge figure is a 2027 event, on MSCI's decision in June.
And it looks like the buyers have been the banks themselves.
In fact, several listed companies launched buybacks.
On top of this, Indonesia's central bank freed over $10 billion of reserves for the same banks to lend.
To me this looks like the government is prioritising share price for now.
I don't see this ending too well.
Act accordingly.
Wow. Earlier in the week the Jakarta exchange met MSCI for some pressing discussions.
And by Tuesday they had an answer.
Basically, from 2 November, Indonesian stocks with highly concentrated ownership will be REMOVED from the index calculation.
This equates to almost 20% of the index's weight.
If you don't know yet, MSCI's complaint is that the Indonesian market is FULL of shells where a small syndicate owns nearly everything. This lets these criminals easily manipulate the price.
Additionally, ANYONE holding 1% or more of a company must say whether they're affiliated with it.
This is "a step in the right direction" many have said.
And BCA says that it's "short term pain for potentially longer-term gain."
You might be wondering who's left after so many companies go?
Well, mostly the banks the state owns. Which is exactly what this video argues.
Act accordingly.
youtu.be/21-G0C_bXYI?si=zGvA…
























