REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Jakarta composite index opened 0.68 percent lower on Monday amid the absence of positive sentiment in the country, analysts said.

The index of the Indonesian Stock Exchange (BEI) fell 36.79 points to 5,398.56 points with index of 45 most liquid stocks down 0.98 percent to 941.13.

"The market players chose to sell shares they held and wait and see the financial reports of listed companies for the first quarter of this year," chief researcher of NH Korindo Securities Indonesia Reza Priyambada said.

Reza said the market players also wanted to see data on the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the first quarter.

He said he hoped that the GDP would grow higher than the last quarter of 2014 to assure foreign investors.

"If the GDP is up to expectation the index of BEI would take a reverse and rise ," he said.

Asjaya Indosurya Securities' analyst William Surya Wijaya in basically, the Indonesian economy is quite stable that would contribute to the confidence of foreign inmvestors to stay in the country.

"Especially as the financial reports of listed companies are generally expected to be healthy enough," he said.

Regional markets such as Hang Seng, Nikkei and Straits Times recorded an increase in indices.

Meanwhile, rupiah in interbank transaction on Monday morning lost more value against the US dollar trading the level of 12,915 from 12,895 per dollar earlier.

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