Profit taking hit Jakarta stocks on Monday following recent market rallies and a second day of violence in the eastern Indonesian city of Ambon.
But losses were limited by gains for telecom bellwether PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk (Telkom) and top retail bank PT Bank Central Asia Tbk (BCA).
The composite index eased 0.45 percent from Friday's record closing high to 811.75 points. Turnover was light with 751 billion rupiah ($87 million) of shares changed hands.
Decliners led advancers 79 to 34 while 73 issues were flat.
"Sentiment is negative today after the violence in Ambon gave reasons to cash in gains. Regional bourses were also weak," said Bambang Setiadi, portfolio manager at Sinarmas Sekuritas.
Fresh clashes erupted on Monday between Muslims and Christians in Ambon and the interior minister said the death toll in the violence that began at the weekend had risen to 18. Well over 100 people were wounded.
Sunday was the worst day of violence since warring factions signed a peace deal in February 2002. Telkom, the biggest firm by market value, rose 2.35 percent to end at another lifetime high of 8,700 rupiah.
Dealers said the company was expected to report solid first quarter earnings later this week, boosted by fast-growing mobile operations and a local-call tariff increase.
Analysts estimated the company would post a roughly 20 percent rise in first quarter net profit from a year earlier.
Indonesia's third-largest bank by assets, BCA, gained 2.55 percent to close at 4,025 rupiah, also a historic high.
The company said earlier it would propose to shareholders next month a dividend payment of 200-225 rupiah per share from 2003 net profit. It also planned a two-for-one stock split which was positive for the share price.

Copyright Reuters, 2004

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