KNYSNA NEWS - There is another month or so left for learners and university students to register for the 2019 Investment Challenge, which draws in school learners and university students with an interest in investment and stock markets.

Now in its 46th year, over the decades this Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) initiative has come to be highly regarded as an instrument that introduces the country’s youth to investing and the stock exchange.

Last year the competition attracted more than 22 000 participants.

'Great vehicle for financial literacy'
JSE corporate social investment officer Ralph Speirs believes the challenge is a "great vehicle" for financial literacy. "There are plenty of valuable lessons on investment that young bright minds take away from participating in a challenge of this nature,” he says.

The challenge, which runs from March to September each year, impacts more than just the lives of the young people who participate, says Speirs. Through the learners’ and students’ participation, the message is spread throughout their communities.

R1m 'imaginary money' to play with
The competition takes the form of a simulator where each team of four learners or students from the same school or institution are given an imaginary sum of R1-million. With this amount, the teams trade on the stock market and invest in actual JSE-listed shares over a six-month period. What they learn in this time has great potential to positively impact the SA economy in the future.

Participation is open to learners between Grade 8 and 12 as well as students from higher-learning institutions. The various teams compete with other teams from schools and institutions countrywide.

There are plenty of prizes to be won monthly. There are also annual prizes for top-performing teams, schools, teachers and mentors. The team who wins the challenge receives cash deposits into an investment account for each of the team members and the top-performing university team is awarded a trip to an international stock exchange.

Registrations close at the end of March 2019.

Find out more
Visit: http://schools.jse.co.za

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