Malanginspirasi.com – Indonesia stock market has changed significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic.
One of the most visible changes is the rapid growth of retail investors, especially from Gen Z.
According to CNBC Indonesia, the number of investors in the Indonesian stock market increased by around 18% in 2025, driven mainly by young people entering the market for the first time. (https://www.cnbcindonesia.com/market/20250811143012-17-656958/didorong-gen-z-jumlah- investor-meningkat-18-sepanjang-2025).
For many Gen Z investors, investing began during a period of uncertainty.
The pandemic disrupted employment opportunities and changed how young Indonesians think about financial security.
With easy access to trading apps and digital information, the stock market became both a learning space and a practical response to economic uncertainty.
However, early participation also brings challenges.
Young investors are exposed to large amounts of information—price charts, indicators, influencer’s opinions, and social media narratives.
Prices move quickly, and emotions often follow.
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Without a clear analytical framework, it is easy to make short-term and reactive decisions, especially in volatile post-COVID market conditions.
This is why a strong knowledge and foundation in corporate finance and data-based thinking is becoming increasingly vital.
Investing is not about reacting to daily price movements.
It is about understanding the business behind the stock. Cash flow sustainability, debt management, risk exposure, and long-term strategy provide a more reliable basis for decision-making than market hype.
How the Faculty of Economics and Business Universitas Ma Chung Adapt To Those Changes
Responding to these changes, higher education also needs to adapt.
At the Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Ma Chung, students are already equipped with coding skills and introduced to basic machine learning concepts related to stock analysis.
This digital orientation has become one of the faculty’s distinctive strengths.
The objective is not to train students to become software engineers, but to prepare them to work confidently with data in financial decision-making.
Through coding and data analysis, students learn how financial information can be processed, compared, and evaluated systematically.
Machine learning, at a basic level, trains students to recognize patterns and trends rather than focusing on isolated price movements.
This approach helps reduce emotional bias and encourages more disciplined thinking, as an important skill for young investors navigating fast-moving markets.
How Students at the Faculty of Economics, Universitas Ma Chung Practice Stock Price Prediction
Students at the Faculty of Economics, Universitas Ma Chung practicing stock price prediction using a Random Forest model as part of data-driven finance learning.
Many Gen Z investors are also attracted to firms that emphasize sustainability and ethical practices. This is a positive development as well.
Still, values need to be supported by financial strength. Data-driven analysis allows investors to assess whether sustainability initiatives are supported by solid business fundamentals or simply serve as short-term narratives.
The growing number of young retail investors is a positive sign for Indonesia’s capital market. Yet participation alone is not enough.
Long-term success depends on the ability to combine technology with understanding. In a post-COVID environment, analytical thinking supported by corporate finance, coding, and basic machine learning, is becoming an essential factor for responsible and sustainable investing.
High school students visiting Universitas Ma Chung and learning basic stock visualization through “coding for fun” sessions, introducing data-driven thinking at an early stage.
Penulis: Tarsisius Renald Suganda, SE., M.Si., Ph.D., CRA., CIC., CPFA. – The Dean the Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Ma Chung
