The Head of Research at the Data Bank Financial Services, Rev. Daniel Ogbame Tetteh, has advised investors against panic reaction in the face of the poor performance of the financial market. Panicking, he said, could influence investors to sell their investments at a time when the markets are not doing well and are recording low or no returns at all on their investments. But with patience, they could reap monumental benefits from their investments as with time the money markets will recover all the losses and make gains. He was speaking at the First Investment Education Forum sponsored by the Securities and Exchanges Commission, Joy FM, Ghana Stock Exchange, World Bank and the Ghana Securities Industry Association. The programme aimed to correct misconceptions about the global economic crisis and the attendant panic reactions by industry players. In line with the aims of the programme, Rev. Tetteh said the crisis was not as gloomy as was being painted. According to him, history had shown that anytime the Ghana Stock Exchange performed poorly, it bounced back strongly. Guided by this, he said, it was unnecessary to panic, sell shares and put pressure on investment managers to sell their treasured holdings. “If you invest in equity mutual fund, you must understand that there are fluctuations,” he said, adding that “when things don’t look the way they should be, you should increase your investments.” Quoting investments guru, Warren Buffet to buttress his point, Rev. Tetteh said “when investing, pessimism is your friend, euphoria your enemy.” The General Manager of the Ghana Stock Exchange, Ekow Afedzie, spelt out the developments that have taken place to help facilitate trading on the market. He said the system had been made so flexible that traders could “buy shares today and settle tomorrow.” According to him, the automation of the system necessitated traders to open accounts in order to be able to trade. An Economist with the World Bank, Mr. Daniel Boakye, said although the effects of the global economic crisis on Ghana was not so acute, it was important for government to ensure fiscal discipline to avoid wastage. With such discipline, he contends, the country’s economy can achieve sustainable stability than it did in the past. Efforts must also be made to ensure a continuous flow of foreign direct investments because the crisis had made agribusiness and Small and Medium Scale Enterprises vulnerable, Mr. Boakye counseled. He said the World Bank will fund infrastructural projects that were viable as the sector is set to suffer the lack of adequate attention from government. The International Finance Corporation with the support of Germany, according to him, has developed a programme to help distressing banks and there is no need for anxiety. The Investment Education Forum will be replicated in other parts of the country to educate people and engender confidence in the money market and the economy as a whole. Other industry players who addressed the forum were Mr. Yoofi Grant of Databank, President of the Ghana Securities Industry Association, Mr. Reginald N. France, and the Director General of the Securities and Exchanges Commission, Dr. Nii Kwaku Sowa. Story by Malik Abass Daabu/Myjoyonline.com