PSE to hold seminars in Cebu on May 21, 22

Officials of the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) will hold free seminars in Cebu and Davao as part of their thrust to expand their reach and increase the number of investors in the Philippine Stock Market.

The PSE would focus on retail and institutional investors in two separate seminars starting May 21 in Cebu, said Ma. Concepcion B. de Castro, PSE market education assistant.

“Building Wealth with Stocks: Investing Guide for Beginners” will be held on May 21 which is for retail investors. This will be followed by another briefing on May 22 for institutional investors dubbed “Investing and Listing Briefing for Institutional Investors.” Both of these forums will be held at the Cebu Parklane Hotel,” said De Castro.

A similar campaign will also be conducted in Davao City from May 24 to 25 at the Royale Mandaya Hotel.

De Castro said that the PSE Roadshow in Cebu and Davao is part of their thrust to educate would-be investors and increase local participation in the stock market.

“Through this financial literacy campaign, we also hope to promote the stock market as an effective venue for mobilizing capital for business enterprises outside Metro Manila,” she said.

The PSE has invited experts to speak during the seminar on topics like the basics of investing, online stock trading, investing in mutual funds, and listing in the PSE.

In his last visit to Cebu early this year, PSE president and executive director Hans B. Sicat said that they would be intensifying their information campaigns to educate Filipinos about the prospects in the stock market.

One of the industries that they’re targeting is the business process outsourcing industry, which has Internet-savvy employees, who earn higher income rates.

Today, there are about 255 publicly listed companies that are actively trading their stocks in the market.

Sicat said the number is expected to double within the year especially with the seminars and information campaigns the PSE is holding within the year.

“The year 2011 was a phenomenal year for PSE with P107.5 billion total capital raised. We expect to raise P198 billion this year,” said Sicat. Reporter Aileen Garcia-Yap