Although Malta has made good progress in attracting banks and financial institutions and is a well-established financial centre, it is still in its infancy as regards its stock exchange market.

Now, the Malta Stock Exchange has announced that it is going to introduce Market Makers. This will undoubtedly help to ensure that the prices quoted reflect the real value of the shares. Shareholders will always find a ready market for their shares and, therefore, people will be more inclined to invest in them.

This does not mean there will not be any risks involved when one buys shares. The shareholder becomes the owner of part of a business when buying shares and, therefore, he is taking on the firm’s risks.

The Association of Small Shareholders (MASS) is a non-profit organisation registered with the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations.

It is there to defend the small shareholder. MASS takes part in most AGMs held by quoted companies. It also holds meetings with the managements to ensure that the shareholder is well informed about what is happening and is, thus, more likely to invest wisely.

MASS has also embarked on an educational campaign on making investment decisions. Conferences have been held on the last Tuesday of each month. Now, MASS has managed to obtain the use of a hall in Valletta (15, Old Mint Street) for its monthly meetings.

Although there was no conference scheduled for July, it was decided to hold one (yesterday) not to lose this opportunity to utilise such a central location for the benefit of shareholders.

The main speaker at the meeting was Robert Suban who spoke about The Listing Rules of the Malta Stock Exchange.

For more information send an e-mail to saviour.btt@gmail.com.