JSE Important Vehicle for Deepening Participation in Economy – Thwaites

Minister of Education, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites, has lauded the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) as an important vehicle for deepening the participation of Jamaicans in the economy.

He said history has proven that unless there is a medium for allowing ordinary persons to participate in capital markets, the economy tends to become elitist, and by definition, oppressive.  

“For that reason, the stock exchange occupies a vital position among the institutions in this country that are necessary for the deepening of participation in the economy,” Mr. Thwaites stated at the JSE e-Learning Campus post graduate awards ceremony on Tuesday (May 22) at the Wyndham Kingston hotel.

“I admire the stock exchange as an institution, which is perhaps the best vehicle for the democratisation or the popularisation of capitalism in Jamaica, since that is the order of our economy,” he added.

Mr. Thwaites suggested that the stock exchange could be utilized in the privatization of state assets that need to be divested.

Meanwhile, a total of 24 experts in the local financial sector were awarded post-graduate certification in financial services management, following their completion of a 14-month course via the JSE e-Learning Campus.

The course, which lasted from September 2010 to November 2011, covered a range of topics including risk management, global capital markets and tools, financial planning and wealth management, strategic portfolio management, and international bond and debt issues.

The graduation exercise was held to recognise the achievements of the participants, who represented the first cohort of the e-Learning Campus.

Ten of the participants were awarded post-graduate diplomas after successfully completing all the modules of the course, while eight were granted post-graduate certificates for completing the first module, and the remaining six, were honoured with certificates of completion.

The JSE e-Learning Campus, which was launched in September 2010, offers a series of certificate courses grouped in module form. The courses, which are accessed online, allow for remote access throughout the Caribbean and for flexible study hours for employed participants.

The Jamaica Stock Exchange was incorporated as a private limited company in August 1968. Itis an efficient, electronic market through which buyers and sellers of securities in public listed companies can trade their shares. A stock exchange is an organised marketplace where stocks, shares, and sometimes, bonds are traded by members of the exchange.

By Athaliah Reynolds-Baker, JIS Reporter