NASDAQ OMX Riga Stock Exchange publishes the first in Latvia digital guide to investing in shares

13.06.2008 RIG

On June 11, 2008, NASDAQ OMX Riga Stock Exchange (RSE) published the first in Latvia digital guide to investing in shares, entitled „10:00 – 14:00. Vērtspapīru tirgus. Latvijas pieredze 2008” (10:00-14:00. Securities Market. Latvian Experience 2008). The guide is a joint project with the news agency BNS, supported by the RSE business partners – investment brokerage company Finasta, Hansabanka and Parex Asset Management.

The published digital guide is a practical tool for the investors, encouraging their first and further steps in share trading. “10:00-14:00” in the title of the book denotes trading hours in NASDAQ OMX Baltic market.

The digital guide dwells on altogether 12 topics, thus spanning all aspects of investing in shares. The publication contains interviews with professional brokers and industry experts who have built years-long experience in the Latvian and global stock markets. Their invaluable findings are laid out a way that is easily understood and perceived by the reader. The market professionals also offer some tips to the reader: the criteria they themselves use for share valuation, how exactly they buy or sell shares etc.

Roberts Idelsons, President, Parex Asset Management, remarks: “When making an investment decision, subjective knowledge not discussed in any finance textbooks has a crucial role. This book unveils the way how professionals think and helps to assess the subjective factors of investing and also teaches us how to take practical decisions that would not be based only on pure financial indicators and analysts’ forecasts.”

The professionals sharing their expertise are: winners of the RSE Broker of the Year title Nataļja Točelovska (2004 and 2007), Jānis Ogsts (2002), Andrejs Martinovs (2003); Roberts Idelsons, President, Parex Asset Managment; Daiga Auziņa–Melalksne, Chairman of the Management Board, RSE; Indars Aščuks, Deputy Chairman of the Managment Board, RSE; brokers Juris Jankovskis, Sandris Sēja, Māris Rambaks, Deniss Makedonskis and Sandis Kapitonovs; financial market analyst Jānis Praņēvičs.

Andrejs Martinovs, Head of Latvia Branch, financial brokerage company Finasta has observed: “Investing in shares in an excellent way how to get to know yourself, master the art of keeping your emotions back and develop yourself as a personality. Equity market teaches you to take logical and well-considered decisions, to think business, as well as enhances your overall understanding of business. Whatever the result at the end of the day, securities market gives you unparalleled lessons and experiences that will be the key to your future success.”

The authors of the guide are Aiga Pelane and Inguna Ukenābele. In Latvia, they are popular as professional economic and financial journalists. The authors have their own hands-on experience in securities market; this is why investor’s approach is no at all unfamiliar to them. They are dealing with very practical issues, such as: What and why do you need to start share trading? Do you trade on your own, find a broker; or rather seek for an asset manager? How do you assess your risk? Which of the ratios are critical if you want to buy shares? What can you do in a “bear market”? What other products can be traded on securities market? etc..

Māris Avotiņš, Chairman of the Management Board, Hansabanka remarks: “This is the first manual in Latvia where the basic information is laid out in a manner easily understandable to an investor-to-be. This is not only the first book about investing in shares, but also the first electronic publication on this topic, so also its format is in line with up-to-date trends.”

There are no comparables in Latvia to the digital guide „10:00 – 14:00”; however, elsewhere in the world similar publications are popular and in demand.

Daiga Auziņa-Melalksne, Chairman of the Management Board, NASDAQ OMX Riga Stock Exchange, expects: „The guide will be handy to a beginner as well as to a person who thinks he or she knows all about it. The publication promptly gives answers to the questions we would like to ask yet keep to ourselves in fear of becoming a laughingstock. Interviews with practitioners are its major asset: they are professionals that have built experience and skills in domestic market, and have started with investing own funds, not providing services to customers only. Very shortly, anybody in Latvia will benefit from their knowledge, experience and conclusions.”

The guide „10:00 – 14:00” is available in the Latvian and the Russian languages. Now, when people are increasingly seeking for information in internet and taking the advantage of mobile technologies, the guide can be downloaded free of charge on websites www.omxnordicexchange.com/balticmarket, www.bns.lv, www.mansbizness.lv, www.ldiena.lv and others. There are no intentions to publish the guide in hard copies, hence it will not be on sale in bookstores.

Contacts:

Āris Dreimanis, Head of Corporate Communications in NASDAQ OMX Riga Stock Exchange
Tel.: +371 6721 2431, Mob.: +371 26124 824