With the JSE/Liberty Investment Challenge now in full swing, the Western Cape has claimed its first victory in this year’s competition. The “AngloInvestic ©” team of Diocesan College (Bishops) in Rondebosch has taken top honours in the Speculator Portfolio.
With a notable growth in investment of 3.60%, the team is making their intentions clear to the other competitors. Their mentor, David Russel, explains: “The learners are extremely proud of their achievement as winners in the high risk Speculator Portfolio. They have shown great enthusiasm and commitment and I am certain they will continue to do well in the Investment Challenge.”
Eastern Cape schools are also proving their aptitude for investing with their second win in the competition. Claiming the top position in the Income Portfolio is the “NHS 2” team from Ntabenkonyana High School. With an impressive income growth of R13315.77, the team is proud of their performance. “The hard work put in by all team members and our dedication is one of the main reasons we were successful in this round. We look forward to the rest of the Investment Challenge and aim to claim another win,” says team leader, Kamvelihle Ntantiso.
Also making their province proud with a first time win is the North West Province’s “Mongrels” from the International School of South Africa. The all-boy team from Mafikeng proved their finance savvy with a 3.12% growth on investment. “The Investment Challenge has taught us to trade shares and to determine their value. We appreciate being given this opportunity and wish to thank the JSE and Liberty. We set a goal to progress as far as we can to reach the Top10 and maybe make some money in the process. The team is very proud to have won the June competition. The Mongrels rock!,” says Team Leader, Roger Bosman, excitedly.
“The JSE Education Department is pleased that the Western Cape has produced a winning team. The province has performed well in previous years and we hope that the success of Bishops encourages other learners in the province to also strive for a win. We wish all teams best of luck and urge them to remain dedicated and committed for the remainder of the Investment Challenge,” says Senior Investment Challenge Co-ordinator, Idris Seedat.
The four students in each of these teams have earned themselves R500 for best performance in their respective portfolios. A further R500 has been 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. Additionally, the teams from around SA will get a glimpse into celeb life by being treated to a VIP experience of an all-expenses-paid trip to Johannesburg for the glamorous awards ceremony, which is held at the JSE every year.
According to Julian Dallamore, Brand Manager at Liberty Retail SA Marketing, “The JSE/Liberty Investment Challenge gives South African youth the knowledge of how to invest their money wisely which is an important tool in preparing them to manage their finances. The number of schools participating and the outstanding results they are achieving is a positive indication that the youth see the importance of investing in themselves and their future.”
The JSE/Liberty Investment Challenge is the largest financial literacy initiative in South Africa with the aim to educate high school learners and university students on the ins and outs of trading on the stock market. The competition runs until the end of September and is open to all learners from any South African high school. Students from universities and independent colleges are also eligible to participate. Income (low risk), Equity Growth (moderate risk) and Speculator (high risk) are three of the risk portfolios from which high school learners can choose to compete while university students can only compete in the Speculator Portfolio. All school entrants must be in teams of four and have to be supervised by a teacher or mentor. University teams must consist of a minimum of two members and a maximum of four.
To register, each team will be required to pay a fee of R120 per team per portfolio entered for schools and R150 per team for universities. To find out more visit the JSE/Liberty Investment Challenge website:http://schools.jse.co.za orhttp://university.jse.co.za and the new interactive mobisite: http://schools.jse.co.za/mobile or http://university.jse.co.za/mobileor contact the Investment Challenge Co-ordinators on (+27)11 – 520 7116/ 7344/ 7168. For further information, registration forms and interaction visit the Facebook and Twitter pages.
