Jamaica Stock Exchange Limited

9 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 11 approval from the Financial Services Commission, allowing them to raise funds via bonds or other placements in the market. We introduced the private market primarily to provide liquidity for accredited investors interested in trading in these securities. Business View Magazine: How many companies listed on the JSE are Jamaican? Could you provide a breakdown of where the companies listed on the JSE originate from? Dr. Street-Forrest: Most of the companies listed on the JSE are primarily Jamaican-based, but we have companies from outside of Jamaica, including Canada, Barbados, and Trinidad. Business View Magazine: Let’s talk about performance. If you could place the JSE on a list of all the stock exchanges worldwide, where does it place? Dr. Street-Forrest: The JSE operates on a global level. Looking at our overall market performance, we generally perform in the top ten most years. For example, although our main market was down in 2022, the junior and our US-denominated markets had double- digit trends of 16% year-over-year growth. Business View Magazine: The Covid pandemic affected most economic sectors, including financial markets. One of these effects has been the inflationary climate in the US, with the Federal Reserve incrementally increasing the overnight rate. How has this inflationary climate affected the JSE’s overall business? Dr. Street-Forrest: Jamaica is currently grappling with imported inflation from North America alongside domestic inflation. Generally speaking, we are battling inflation through policies by the central bank. Some of these policies, like an interest rate increase, have impacted the stock market because investors will always flee to a safe haven looking for short-term wins.