Regional investment opportunities need to be widely communicated to the investment community.' - Street-Forrest
THE JAMAICA Stock Exchange (JSE) is hosting a three-day conference to bring parties together for investment talks and to enable participants to have more accurate information about opportunities that exist within the region, says general manager of the JSE, Mrs. Marlene Street-Forrest.
The inaugural regional conference on investments and the capital markets, starts today and runs until January 19 at the Half Moon Club in Montego Bay.
Mrs. Street-Forrest says the local exchange is committed to highlighting and emphasising regional stock markets in providing a source for investment and capital formation. Speaking at a Montego Bay press briefing last week she said the exchange will delve into offering of new products such as bond and mutual funds and focus on showcasing the market as a sound and attractive investment destination.
She notes that while traditionally stock exchanges have focused largely on facilitating transactions in respect to the equities market, only few have not broadened their horizon and widened the products and securities offered to the market. In keeping with its mandate to facilitate the growth and development of the market, the 36-year-old Jamaica Stock Exchange has now embarked on other activities of market development and has laid the foundation for ensuring that there is excellent infrastructure to maintain an efficient market.
IMPORTANT ALLIANCE
She says the stock exchange recently formed an important alliance with Bloomberg, recognising that market information allows the world financial centres and its emerging market fund managers a tool to measure the equity performance and the volatility of the market.
And while this is an important step in attracting investors to the region, Mrs. Street-Forrest says, "Regional investment opportunities need to be widely communicated to the investment community." Consequently, Conference 2006 will focus on issues relating to a regional exchange, attracting foreign and institutional investors, credit rating, moving from disclosure to transparency, making use of regional investment opportunities, venture capital for start-up organisations and, the role of CARICOM in advancing the development of the financial sector.
