Online brokerage company reaches out to Internet generation

In partnership with the Philippine Stock Exchange and the Manila Jaycees, CitisecOnline, an online stock brokerage firm, has found an effective medium to reach out to the Internet generation.

The leading proponent of online trading, together with the PSE, is sponsoring a tournament that simulates stock market trading and is conducted online.

The tournament, which is open to all and ends July 31, is a sequel to an annual PSE event for students.

CitisecOnline president Dino Bate says the tournament hopes to attract young professionals and other Internet-savvy individuals in a bid to revolutionize the investing habits of Filipinos.

"Online tools and the free flow of market information has led Asians in more developed countries to embrace Internet trading," he says. "We are confident we can replicate the same here."

PSE officials disclose that the 2006 edition of the PSE online stock trading tournament had 1,200 students from 32 colleges and universities all over the country competing to increase the value of their individual virtual portfolios through an online trading game that mimics the activities of the PSE.

Francis Lim, president of the PSE says, "We expect the majority of Filipinos with investible funds to take their cue from the students. We hope they will see the stock market’s unparalleled capacity to multiply investments."

Bate says CitisecOnline and online stock trading in general have allowed investors to further take direct control of their investments. They can place orders at their pace, at their desired price and time.

"CitisecOnline empowers the individual retail customer by making data accessible to him anytime, anywhere. This feature allows him to make keen investment decisions," he says.

Key information such as the most active stocks, the top 20 gainers and losers, heavily traded stocks and many more are now broadcast efficiently through the company’s site. Such information will be made available by CitisecOnline to all participants during the whole duration of the tournament by providing them free trial access to its website, www.citiseconline.com.

Access to the CitisecOnline website will help them get a better feel of online trading. In addition, the website also provides daily research and timely company updates and analysis to better hone their abilities.

Bate believes that the use of an online trading platform could restore the public’s confidence in the stock market which, in its heyday in 1994, attracted as many as 500,000 subscribers to one of the most widely placed offerings in the history of the PSE, the Petron IPO.

For more details and free trials of the CitisecOnline website, call 633-3777 or send inquiries to [email protected]