More Than 4,500 Students to Benefit from 2009 Citi Youth Investment Education Program

Hong Kong – More than 4,500 students from 153 secondary schools have registered for this year’s Citi Youth Investment Education Program, with registration doubling in number for the financial education course as compared to 2008. New components, such as online workshops and an interactive feedback channel, have been added into the 2009 program schedule, which will commence on April 18.

The Citi Youth Investment Education Program is jointly organized by Citi, the School Economic Times and the Learning Society, co-organized by the HKSAR Education Bureau, and sponsored by the Citi Foundation. Now in its third year, the program underscores Citi’s ongoing commitment to financial education by helping Hong Kong students in F.4 to F.7 (ages 16-19) improve their understanding of investment concepts and allowing them to try out their investment skills in a safe environment.

“We believe the tremendous response to this year’s program reflects a growing need for financial education, especially in times of economic uncertainty,” said Shengman Zhang, Citi Country Officer for Hong Kong. “At Citi, we recognize that educating young people about correct money management concepts at an early age better equips them to make responsible financial decisions throughout their lives.”

The Citi Youth Investment Education Program is divided into three stages. First, students will be introduced to investment concepts and good practices at the Citi Youth Investment Education Seminar on April 18. The guest speakers - Arthur Shek, Associate Publisher of the Hong Kong Economic Times, and Catherine Cheung, Head of Investment Strategy & Research, Citibank Global Consumer Group - will discuss the fundamentals of financial management, financial markets and stock analysis.

“We share Citi’s view that it is vital for students to develop the right attitude to money management and investments, and not regard investing as gambling or speculation,” said Mr. Shek. “This program is important because it teaches young people how stock markets work and prepares them for the time when they can start investing.”

During the second stage of the program, students will participate in a series of online Citi Youth Investment education workshops. These will engage students with real-world case studies highlighting investment research methods and analytical skills.

Concurrently with their training, students will be given the opportunity to put their learning into practice through an eight-week online trading game, which simulates trading the Hang Seng Index (HSI) and China Enterprises Index (CEI) stocks, Hang Sang H shares Exchange-traded Fund (ETF) (2828) and Tracker Fund (2800).

The third stage of the program, to be held in July 2009, is a Financial Quotient (FQ) event that will measure students’ financial knowledge and their ability to apply what they have learned to real situations. It will be hosted by financial management experts who will share their investment experiences.

The Citi Youth Investment Education Program FQ workshop will conclude with an awards ceremony acknowledging winners of the online trading game. Prizes will be presented to teams with the best overall performance as well as teams with the highest closing account balance. Awards will also be given to schools with the highest participation rate and to students who create the best investment slogans.