Retail Investors Need Real-Time Data Amid Volatility

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — Stock market volatility since the beginning of 2026 has driven changes in how retail investors interpret price movements. The high speed of transactions makes access to real-time data a crucial factor in decision-making.

Some investors are still relying on data that does not fully reflect the current market conditions. This situation often causes trading opportunities to be missed when prices move rapidly.

Industry players assess that the main issue is not just investment strategies, but also the information access gap in the market. Data such as order queues, buy and sell pressures, and transaction flows are not yet fully accessible to retail investors directly during trading hours.

“Many investors are still making decisions based on delayed data. Yet the market moves very quickly, even in seconds,” said Chief Marketing Officer of PT Indo Premier Sekuritas (IPOT) Sergio Ticoalu on Monday (13/4/2026).

According to Sergio, delays in information access cause investors to often miss the momentum. Decisions to enter or exit stocks are frequently made after the best opportunities have passed.

In practice, some investors still depend on daily transaction summaries or broker summaries. This data is only available after trading ends, so it does not reflect the ongoing market dynamics.

“What differentiates is not just analysis, but the speed of seeing the current market conditions,” he said.

The need for real-time data-based features has increased, especially among active investors. Some important features include live order books to view buy and sell queues directly, accumulation and distribution indicators during trading hours, and buy and sell pressure indicators.

Additionally, monitoring of active stocks based on actual transactions is starting to be used to capture ongoing market movements.

Nevertheless, faster data access does not automatically eliminate risks. Utilising features still requires adequate understanding from investors.

“Real-time data helps read the market, but decisions remain in the hands of investors,” said Sergio.

With the Composite Stock Price Index (IHSG) still fluctuating, the data access gap is expected to remain a concern. The ability to read the market quickly is seen as increasingly important so that investors do not merely react to price movements that have already occurred.