On Tuesday, April 17, 2012 the Jamaica Stock Exchange held its first Public Investor Outreach for 2012 at the Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston. This outreach was under the theme “Invest in Stocks – Create Real Wealth”. The event was pitched towards potential investors, first time investors and persons who had knowledge of the market.
At the Knutsford Court Hotel where the event was held, the room was filled to capacity of eager individuals who wanted to get firsthand knowledge on investing in the Stock Market. They were not disappointed as the General Manager, of the Jamaica Stock Exchange, Mrs. Marlene Street Forrest, set the tone for the evening. Mrs. Street Forrest before speaking on the roles and functions of the Stock Exchange gave the audience a feel of the performance of the market from 2009 to 2011. She told the audience that according to the Business Insider the Jamaica Stock Exchange is one of the world’s top performing markets. This is an accomplishment which we should all be proud. The Stock Exchange was cited as the 6th best performing exchange in 2011. She went on to inform the audience that in terms of return on investments, research has shown that no other investment provides over the long run the rate of return as that of investing in equities.
Mrs. Street Forrest was followed by Mr. Paul Gray, Chief Investments Officer; JMMB who held the audience at rapt attention. He spoke on the topic “Invest in Stock: Create Real Wealth”. Mr. Gray gave the audience information on what to look for and questions to ask when investing in equity, such as does the company have:
A good management team?
A good product?
Growth prospect? Among other factors.
He also told the audience that they should invest some time to learn about the companies that they are investing in, as they should ensure that their hard earned cash was invested wisely.
Mr. Roy Reid, Manager, Client Portfolio & Investment Strategies, Jamaica Money Market Brokers, closed the show by recommending a list of stocks to watch in 2012 and beyond. However, before he highlighted the stocks to watch, he told the audience that it was difficult for those who worked from “9-5” to accumulate wealth. To achieve real wealth one had to be entrepreneurial in one’s outlook and the best way to be an entrepreneur while working was to invest in the market. He went on to state that in 2011 alone the Junior Market appreciated by over 97%. He implored the audience to get off the side line and into the ring in order to enjoy the benefits of the market.
It was then left to Mr. Robin Levy, Deputy General Manager of the Jamaica Stock Exchange and the moderator, to thank all the presenters and the audience for a very positive teaching/learning experience.
