Johannesburg – For nearly 50 years, the JSE Investment Challenge has been teaching high school learners and tertiary students about investing on the JSE and the larger role that investment plays in the country’s economy.
“This competition is a great way for learners to gain various skills while learning about South Africa’s economy,” comments Sizwe Mtsweni, teacher of the winning team in the Income Portfolio, MP Street Profit from Mpumelelo Secondary School.
According to Mtsweni, the Investment Challenge aims to inspire learners to come up with creative solutions to present-day challenges and problems not only in our country, but globally.
He believes that it is crucial for learners of all ages to experience and learn about how the economy works and impacts their lives.
Mtsweni expresses how this competition was slightly more challenging than in previous years given the situation with the war in Ukraine, the hike in repo rates, and fuel prices going up.
“This forced the team to come up with strategies that would help them target investments that would give them greater returns,” says Mtsweni.
“They learned to work together as a team and analyse graphs, but most importantly, to communicate with each other.”
Jayden Marcus, a grade 12 student from Lawson Brown High School representing the ‘Business Gurus’ team says he’s always been intrigued by stocks and how they have a greater impact in the economy.
He says the team was selected from the top business learners based on their grade 11 marks.
“I really enjoyed this competition because you never know what the risks are. You must look at companies that are performing well and invest in those,” he explains.
He encourages learners to take part in the challenge so they can be exposed to different markets.
Teammate, Aviwe Melani adds, “In order to succeed in this competition, you need to widen the range of your search of companies. Don’t just look at the FTSE/JSE Top 40 companies, choose all 309.”
He feels that youth could benefit from the skills they learn in the competition to enhance their future.
Ralph Speirs, JSE’s CSI Officer says it is the JSE’s intention to bring financial literacy to learners, students and the general public.
“We’re trying to help youth understand financial literacy while equipping them with the tools they will need to make wiser choices about their money in future,” says Speirs.
“We encourage as many schools and- tertiary institutions to participate in this exciting opportunity as it exposes them to critical skills when it comes to investing and money management,” he concludes.
Winners for the August 2022 monthly Investment Challenge competition include:
Income category:
MP Street Profit from Mpumelelo Secondary School in Mpumalanga
Equity portfolio:
Business Gurus from Lawson Brown High School in Eastern Cape
Speculator portfolio for schools:
CIT Stonks from Bridge House School in Western Cape
Speculator portfolio for universities:
Value Creators from the University of South Africa (UNISA) in Gauteng.
