The Straits Times partners SGX in new educational series for retail investors

RETAIL investors will soon have an opportunity to enhance their understanding of equity research reports to help them navigate their investing journey.

A collaboration between The Straits Times and Singapore Exchange (SGX), the new ST-SGX Research Leaders' Insights Series will offer insights and analysis of 10 leaders in equity research, as a guide on how to effectively use research-based content.

It will be led by The Straits Times' Invest editor and senior correspondent, Lorna Tan, together with 10 research leaders from leading securities and research firms. Insights and analysis on how to use research-based content for investment decisions will be published in The Sunday Times every month, starting from April.

The research leaders will also engage the public through seminars and webinars conducted by SGX Academy, allowing for direct interaction with investors who are keen on using equity research content for their investment decisions. Activities, articles and resources relating to the series will also be made available on the SGX Academy website.

Mr Chan Kum Kong, SGX head of research and products, said: "This is a first-of-its-kind research-based investor education programme and there is a growing appetite among the investing public for research content.

"This initiative aims to empower more investors to make astute investing decisions. Together with the recent MAS Research Talent Development and Research Initiative Grant, the combined efforts will help facilitate a robust market ecosystem by increasing equity research production, strengthening research support provided by brokers as well as raising investors' proficiency in using research."

Ms Abigail Ng, the Monetary Authority of Singapore's (MAS) executive director of corporate finance and consumer department, said that research reports and analysis help investors to understand and evaluate financial statements, assess corporate performance, risks and future growth prospects. With this, investors are encouraged to acquire essential analytical skills which would help them assess available information, and make more informed investment decisions, she added.

Ms Tan said that investors need to arm themselves with the right information to make smart investment decisions.

"Through my talks as well as our columns in The Sunday Times Invest section, we have been actively helping our audience though their financial literacy journey. I believe that the ST-SGX Research Leaders' Insights series will take this to another level, to benefit the investing communities and the wider audience of The Sunday Times," she said.