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Since the establishment of Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange until the end of last June, the total value of trading activities carried out by female national investors in the Exchange has reached 105.3 billion dirhams, whereas the value of their trading has reached 2.1 billion dirhams during the first half of 2016. Moreover, the market value of the shares they own has reached 19 billion dirhams during the first half of 2016.
On his part, His Excellency Rashid Al Baloushi, CEO of Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, mentioned that the activity of female nationals in the Exchange reflects the substantial role that Emirati women have begun to play in all of the economic activities in the United Arab Emirates through the support of the country’s leadership led by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, who seeks to empower women and reinforce her role in the comprehensive development of the country.
There are more than 70,000 female national investors who hold an investor number at Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, representing 55% of the total female investors at the Exchange.
The years following the establishment of Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange witnessed a dramatic increase in the percentage of female investors in the Exchange which indicates the important role that women play in the various economic activities alongside men, including investment in the Exchange’s shares.
The CEO emphasized that the increase in female nationals’ activity in the Exchange wouldn’t have been able to reach such advanced levels if it wasn’t for the continuous support from the UAE leadership to the Emirati women and its keenness to increase their participation in the development journey and strengthen their status in the society in general.
He added that the Emirati woman has become able to compete with the man effectively after assuming several positions or as an investor in several economic sectors that were previously dominated by men for a long time. Additionally, the economic openness, which is considered a fixed policy for the UAE, made the Emirati woman more aware and bold in managing her activities, whether through investment in the Exchange or the projects that she manages.
Furthermore, he said that the steady increase in the standard of living in the UAE has coincided with an increase in women’s education levels which contributed to an increase in their participation in the job market leading them to occupy leadership positions that correspond to their educational qualifications, experience and competency. As a result of these fundamental changes in education levels and experience gained from the Exchange over the last years, women started to carry out investments in the financial markets by themselves rather than relying on their fathers or husbands to deposit their savings in the banks as the case was in the past.
Numerous obstacles have been removed that previously prevented women from entering the investment field and the number of female brokers has increased. Moreover, several brokerage companies have created special divisions that were specifically dedicated to women and that are equipped with trading rooms, display monitors for observing the prices, offers, requests and daily news. Additionally, female investors were given the opportunity to deal directly with female brokers and receive technical support regarding the situation in the market. The development that online trading services have witnessed has contributed to the provision of transactions within a framework that is more private and protected than before.
He also said that no doubt that investing part of women’s wealth in the financial market has provided them with a good revenue especially since the majority of women carry out medium to long-term investment and prefer low-risk shares. Since women have a natural tendency to avoid risks as much as possible and look for safe investment, they often prefer to stay away from speculations.
Moreover, he stressed that there is no difference between men and women when to comes to exhibiting professionalism in dealing with the financial market. Investment requires knowledge and learning so that the investment decisions are built upon mind and logic rather than emotion. Investors should not feel panic when prices go down during the falling cycle or feel greedy and hope for continuous price recovery during the rising cycle. He who increases his/her knowledge and learning level shall have the ability to manage his/her investments effectively based on a specific strategy ensuring great rewards.
