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22-01-2013, 09:41 AM
Wow, I didn't know investing has to be exciting. I think you would be able to make money more consistently if it was boring. 
As usual, the mainstream media uses the words trading and investing interchangeably.
The Straits Times
www.straitstimes.com
Published on Jan 22, 2013
OCBC's investor hub opens amid trading pickup
By Alvin Foo
TIPS from analysts and other market watchers that this will be a bumper year for equities have prompted investors to pile back into shares.
Local brokerages report a keen pickup in trading from retail investors since the new year as a mood of optimism gathers pace.
OCBC Securities managing director Raymond Chee said yesterday: "Since the beginning of 2013, we have seen daily trading volume for retail customers double the daily average trading volume in 2012."
Dealers attribute this surge to a revival of penny counters. Overall, the Singapore market has averaged 5.4 billion shares done daily this year, a vast increase from the 2.1 billion average seen last year.
Mr Chee mentioned the upswing in activity during the official opening of his firm's $2 million investor hub in Raffles Place.
The 6,600 sq ft facility at 18, Church Street hit the drawing board about two years after research involving 100 retail investors and in-house experiential work. It has been operational since last July.
The research told OCBC Securities that investors wanted a venue where they could share trading ideas, talk to trade specialists, access market information and feel the excitement of investing.
The broker did not expect such enthusiasm for one-on-one contact and "human interaction" in the light of the rapid growth of mobile gadgets and online trading. Mr Chee said: "We have been surprised by our investors wanting brick-and-mortar trading experience in addition to the convenience of a good online trading platform. The brick-and-mortar touchpoint is not dead."
Among the hub's key features is a multimedia trading gallery touted to be the first in the brokerage industry. It has a full range of mobile trading gadgets - from the iPhone and iPad to BlackBerry and Android devices - that customers can use to access OCBC's mobile trading application.
There are also six trading terminals for clients to place orders and a digital media wall showing key global market indexes, the prices of main commodities and popular foreign currency pairs.
Mr Chee said about half of his firm's customer trade in terms of value is done via the Internet. Of these, about 20 per cent is conducted through its mobile trading application.
The hub also has five customer service pods, two private meeting rooms, and a seminar room that can seat up to 80 people. There is also a gallery that allows clients to catch the dealers in action.
Retail investor Cheong Pak Seng, 74, who frequents the hub two to three times a week, found the computer terminals very useful for monitoring stock prices and executing his trades. "It's also in a convenient location, in town, and very near to the MRT," he added.
alfoo@sph.com.sg
As usual, the mainstream media uses the words trading and investing interchangeably.
The Straits Times
www.straitstimes.com
Published on Jan 22, 2013
OCBC's investor hub opens amid trading pickup
By Alvin Foo
TIPS from analysts and other market watchers that this will be a bumper year for equities have prompted investors to pile back into shares.
Local brokerages report a keen pickup in trading from retail investors since the new year as a mood of optimism gathers pace.
OCBC Securities managing director Raymond Chee said yesterday: "Since the beginning of 2013, we have seen daily trading volume for retail customers double the daily average trading volume in 2012."
Dealers attribute this surge to a revival of penny counters. Overall, the Singapore market has averaged 5.4 billion shares done daily this year, a vast increase from the 2.1 billion average seen last year.
Mr Chee mentioned the upswing in activity during the official opening of his firm's $2 million investor hub in Raffles Place.
The 6,600 sq ft facility at 18, Church Street hit the drawing board about two years after research involving 100 retail investors and in-house experiential work. It has been operational since last July.
The research told OCBC Securities that investors wanted a venue where they could share trading ideas, talk to trade specialists, access market information and feel the excitement of investing.
The broker did not expect such enthusiasm for one-on-one contact and "human interaction" in the light of the rapid growth of mobile gadgets and online trading. Mr Chee said: "We have been surprised by our investors wanting brick-and-mortar trading experience in addition to the convenience of a good online trading platform. The brick-and-mortar touchpoint is not dead."
Among the hub's key features is a multimedia trading gallery touted to be the first in the brokerage industry. It has a full range of mobile trading gadgets - from the iPhone and iPad to BlackBerry and Android devices - that customers can use to access OCBC's mobile trading application.
There are also six trading terminals for clients to place orders and a digital media wall showing key global market indexes, the prices of main commodities and popular foreign currency pairs.
Mr Chee said about half of his firm's customer trade in terms of value is done via the Internet. Of these, about 20 per cent is conducted through its mobile trading application.
The hub also has five customer service pods, two private meeting rooms, and a seminar room that can seat up to 80 people. There is also a gallery that allows clients to catch the dealers in action.
Retail investor Cheong Pak Seng, 74, who frequents the hub two to three times a week, found the computer terminals very useful for monitoring stock prices and executing his trades. "It's also in a convenient location, in town, and very near to the MRT," he added.
alfoo@sph.com.sg
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