JSE gives SA youth an opportunity to invest a virtual R1 million

If finance, economy and share trading spark your interest, the JSE/Liberty Investment Challenge is your game. Learn more about the world of the stock market and try your hand at investing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) without running the risk of losing money.

South African learners and students are once again offered an opportunity to participate in the 2010 JSE/Liberty Investment Challenge. The Investment Challenge starts in March and registrations are now open with more than R240 000.00 worth of prizes plus an all expenses paid overseas trip to be won. The Investment Challenge offers high school learners and university students an opportunity to learn about investments through managing a virtual portfolio of a whopping R1 million.

The JSE/Liberty Investment Challenge is an ongoing annual competition that enables learners and students to become aware of the fundamentals of investment, encouraging them to research and strategise on issues surrounding the trading of JSE-listed shares and other financial instruments. This simulated trading programme provides a real life environment for testing one’s share trading skills against other entrants, with performance being tracked over six months.

“The 2009 JSE/Liberty Investment Challenge proved to be a great success, drawing an increased number of registration figures in comparison to the previous year. This growth serves as proof that the Investment Challenge is fulfilling its aim of increasing financial literacy among the South African youth therefore securing them a better future,” says Senior General Manager of JSE Education, Maureen Dlamini.

For more than 35 years the JSE/Liberty Investment Challenge has been helping to educate school learners and university students about the ins and outs of investing in the stock market and the larger role that such investment plays in the country’s economy with the idea of securing a better future for them. Thus it is the most focused and far-reaching educational youth programme in the South African financial sector.

The JSE/Liberty Investment Challenge runs from March to September and is open to all grade 8 to 12 learners from any South African high school. Students from universities and independent colleges are also eligible to participate. All school entrants must be in teams of four and have to be supervised by a teacher or mentor selected by schools. Investment Challenge Co-ordinators at the JSE will also provide assistance on a daily basis. Grade 12 learners will need permission of their principal to enter. University teams must consist of a minimum of two members and a maximum of four.

Howard Fox, Divisional Director of Marketing at Liberty says, “Liberty takes pride in partnering with the JSE for this initiative. The Investment Challenge is an excellent tool to encourage financial education in South Africa. It plays a beneficial role in preparing learners and students for long-term saving and wealth creation”.

Entrants have a choice of selecting one or more risk portfolios that they wish to take part in for the competition. The portfolio options are Income (low risk), Equity Growth (moderate risk) and Speculator (high risk). Teams choose the portfolio according to their level of experience and risk adversity. High risk shares and other financial instruments can result in high returns over a short period of time but at the same time have a higher probability of the share price to suddenly drop. It is therefore recommended for learners in grade 8 and 9 to participate in the Income Portfolio game as this is more suited to beginners.

Throughout the Investment Challenge, the team with the best performance for the month in each portfolio will win R500 per team member. A further R500 will be awarded to their school as well as another R500 for their teacher or mentor. At the end of the competition, five prizes amounting to R60 000 per portfolio will be awarded to the overall winners of the Income, Equity Growth and Speculator Portfolios. In addition to winning amazing prizes, entrants will gain exposure and experience in life skills such as budgeting, research, team work and they will identify new career opportunities.

Registration forms are obtainable from the JSE/Liberty Investment Challenge website http://schools.jse.co.za or http://university.jse.co.za also from the Investment Challenge Co-ordinators on 011 – 520 7116/ 7344/ 7168. Each team will be required to pay a registration fee of R120 per team per portfolio entered for the school and R150 per team for the universities. Learners and students can refer to the websites for more details or visit the Learners and Teachers Expo at the Jack Botes hall in Polokwane from 2 March – 4 March where JSE/Liberty Investment Challenge Co-ordinators will be available to provide assistance. The JSE week will also be held the entire month of March at various malls should learners/students require additional information.

Venue:                                                                                   Date:

Soweto, Maponya Mall                                                       4-7   March

Sandton, Sandton City                                                       11-14 March

Cape Town, Canal Walk                                                    18-21 March

Durban, Gateway                                                              25-28 March

Zukiswa Nomnganga

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