As a general rule, before purchasing a stock, one key aspect of the company that one has to look at is its volume. The daily volume of a company is the amount of hares that are traded on any given day.

Most of the stocks that have minimal volume often have large point swings. However, one should not judge a company solely on its average volume. A company's fundamentals may be strong, despite its low trading. One should always conduct research on a company before making a decision to invest.

Stocks are fractions of a company that are sold to the public. When you purchase stock in a company, you are in fact, owning a fraction of that company. When you purchase stock, you become a shareholder in that company.

Blue chip stocks are stocks of large, well known companies, e.g. Coca- Cola.

They do this in order to gain money that will allow them to grow and develop.

People buy stock in a company in the hope that their investment will grow and they will make more money. A shareholder can earn money if the company decides to pay dividends, which is a fixed value on each share from the profits of the company, or if the stock price goes up, which happens usually when there is a demand for the stock (i.e. more people want to buy the stock rather than sell the stock). People also buy stock in order to have some part in making decisions that affect the company.

As a general rule, before purchasing a stock, one key aspect of the company that one has to look at is its volume. The daily volume of a company is the amount of hares that are traded on any given day.

Most of the stocks that have minimal volume often have large point swings. However, one should not judge a company solely on its average volume. A company's fundamentals may be strong, despite its low trading. One should always conduct research on a company before making a decision to invest.

A bond can perhaps best be described as an IOU. When you purchase a bond you are in fact lending money to a government or government agency known as the issuer. In return the issuer promises to pay you a specified rate of interest during the life of the bond, plus the face value of the bond once it matures.

A mutual fund is a portfolio of stocks, bonds and/or cash managed by an investment company on behalf of a large number of investors. When you invest in mutual funds you become part-owner of a large investment portfolio along with the other shareholders. CIB does not currently offer this service.

This is where the experience of CIB comes in. We can help you construct a portfolio that takes into account your personal goals and expectations.

This is a difficult question to answer, as one cannot easily predict the performance of stocks and shares etc. Depending on your chosen instrument, you can begin to see earnings immediately or after a five year period. What we advise investors when they decide to invest, is to think medium to long-term (between three to ten years) to really reap the full rewards of their investment.

The Government of Trinidad and Tobago currently offers a 35% tax credit for investment in Venture Capital.

Particularly for a first time investor, a fund manager can offer invaluable advice in choosing investment instruments that are in keeping with the client's goals and objectives. For the more seasoned investors, an investment manager offers the client a network of affiliates that are extremely useful in constructing a diversified portfolio.

In choosing CIB as your Investment Manager, you will have access to a team of skilled and experienced professionals with a wide and varied network of local, regional and international affiliates.