The Telefónica District is a new 140,000 square metre space conceived as a global technology centre where innovation, development and technological experimentation will take place. Its main objective is to attract and retain talent, as it is capable of training 100,000 people a year.

CP

Telefónica is to open a large global innovation and talent centre of at least 140,000 square metres at its headquarters in Madrid. The new facility is called Distrito Telefónica and its main objective is to offer an innovative experience that will allow the company to strengthen its leadership in the new digital world.

In its inaugural phase, it will host some fifty cutting-edge technological innovations: holography-based experiences, gaming, robots, connected cars, drones, state-of-the-art security and the latest developments in hybrid classrooms. In a further effort to bring the future of today closer to the future, the buildings will form a vast interconnected network of excellence focusing on 5G, artificial intelligence, smart optics, edge computing, deep learning algorithms, IoT, cloud, cybersecurity, blockchain and video.

«The future is the present.

The new space will consolidate Telefónica’s position as the undisputed leader in digitalisation, a commitment to go beyond technology and focus on talent. In the words of the Chairman of Telefónica, José María Álvarez-Pallete, the Telefónica District will be «a leading centre for leading companies».
The Chairman of the Board announced the launch of a large global centre for innovation and talent at Telefónica’s headquarters in Madrid, stressing that «the future is present and it is through innovation and talent, because that is where people’s lives are being changed». Telefónica wants to redouble its commitment to the future and to people through the Global Innovation and Talent Centre».

Attracting and retaining talent

The new digital world demands continuous learning throughout the professional career with access to new skills and tools, so the updating and recycling of knowledge are also priority objectives for Telefónica and its Hub.

Espacio Telefónica will become a world reference centre for innovation and talent, capable of training 100,000 people a year. An extensive network with buildings equipped with the most modern connectivity to enable the exchange of technology and information. A pioneering centre that aims to attract and retain talent and offer them the best conditions to see and create the future.

At the global forefront

100 million euros will be invested in the Global Innovation and Talent Centre until 2024, a special year for Telefónica as it celebrates its first centenary. This project also extends the implementation of the strategic plan announced by the company in November 2019. The Group continues its transformation to create a new Telefónica, and this project will contribute to this with its strong commitment to innovation and talent.

«Innovation and talent are two key factors for the progress and prosperity of Spain, essential for reducing inequalities, creating jobs and placing our country at the forefront of a better, more sustainable, fairer and more inclusive world, where collaboration is the best competitive advantage,» said Álvarez-Pallete. With this centre, Telefónica confirms its commitment to the future of the country. Thanks to its characteristics and the mission with which it is conceived, the new centre will be at the global forefront in the attraction and development of technology and highly qualified professionals.

More about the telephone district

Distrito Telefónica is the headquarters of the Spanish telecommunications company Telefónica, S.A.[1] in Las Tablas, a neighbourhood in the Fuencarral-El Pardo district of Madrid, Spain, accessed from the A-1 «Autovía del Norte» motorway and the M-40 ring road. The complex was known as Distrito C or Distrito de las Comunicaciones until 2011.

Design

The project was designed by Rafael de La-Hoz. It was built in 36 months on 370,000 square metres in Las Tablas, a growing area between Madrid and Alcobendas. This project was awarded several times[clarification needed], due to the layout of the Madrid metro station (Ronda de la Comunicación on line 10) and various communications.

The buildings have a surface area of 140,000 square metres and were at the time the largest glass project in Europe, even larger than Banco Santander’s Ciudad Financiera and Madrid-Barajas Airport projects. This district consists of twelve office buildings: four ten-storey buildings at each end and eight four-storey buildings in between. This complex also includes a shopping centre, which is open to the public, and several other buildings for additional services. The aim of Distrito Telefónica is to bring together all the company’s resources in one place, which guarantees significant savings in its management structure.

The investment amounted to more than 500 million euros and was financed mainly through the sale or lease of several properties owned by Telefónica in Madrid. The Telefónica District is home to 14,000 people, including employees and visitors to the Group.

Energy saving

Telefónica’s design of the complex will result in significant savings in air conditioning and heating (15% in winter and 34% in summer) and will reduce CO2 emissions by 5,000 tonnes per year. The choice of glass façades will save 42% in lighting costs.

Prices and prizes

• «International Work Award» at the XI International Biennial of Architecture Argentina BA07.
• Aedip Award 2009

According to the Global Thematic Funds Landscape 2021 report, assets under management in thematic funds have tripled in just three years, so that they now hold 2.1% of all global equity assets.

According to Lipper, assets under management by funds investing in the healthcare sector have grown from €15.5bn to €35.5bn in just two years. «While the pandemic has likely increased this demand, we believe the trends underpinning the sector, particularly demographic ageing and innovation, will continue to support long-term growth,» says Erin Xie, fund manager at BGF World Healthscience. She also sees near-term opportunities in, for example, healthcare companies, which can benefit from the return to normality.

Patricia de Arriaga, deputy managing director of Pictet AM in Spain, points out that related industries account for 10-15% of global GDP in developed economies, and that this figure is set to rise in the coming decades. «It’s a theme driven by the confluence of strong megatrends that the pandemic has accelerated, especially the focus on healthcare, which is defensive in nature,» she explains. Tazio Storni, manager of the Pictet Health and Pictet Biotech funds, which are governed by Article 9 of the EU’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), says: «New vaccine manufacturers may gain, but not in the way people think. What really remains is the creation of technology platforms for validation, including collaboration between competitors, which has increased considerably.

Specialised funds

In the list of products available to retail investors, «we are seeing a growing number of specialist funds that offer investors limited exposure to a particular area of the healthcare market, such as biotech or digital health. At the other end of the spectrum are the new thematic funds,» says Gavin Marriott, head of global and international equity products at Schroders. In his view, this sometimes broadens the opportunity set beyond traditional healthcare stocks into adjacent areas such as software, hardware technology and food products.

Adeline Salat-Baroux, manager of the Edmond de Rothschild Healthcare Fund, notes that many investors have changed their approach to markets in recent years because «they want their investments to make sense». Thematic funds, particularly those focused on healthcare, are responding to these expectations. Salat-Baroux continues: «These services have been around for a long time, but are experiencing a strong resurgence due to high demand from clients, especially retailers, who are often well aware of investment policy and social impact.

Since Covid’s inception, 22 new wellness products have been launched, with a total value of assets under management of €2.4 billion. In addition to the latest launches, «we can also see that the trend in flows into healthcare products has increased significantly since the start of the pandemic and has remained above pre-crisis levels ever since,» says Álvaro Cabeza, head of UBS AM Iberia. For the fund manager, healthcare is a key sustainability initiative, which is why, for example, in October it changed the name of the UBS (Lux) Healthcare fund, launched in May 1998, to UBS (Lux) Sustainable Health Transformation Strategy.

As for DPAM Invest B Equities Newgems Sustainable, it does not focus on one theme and also invests in consumer and communications companies, «but technology and healthcare are the most important». The latter is actually quite broad: from companies developing natural vitamins, drugs (Polypeptide), diagnostic devices (Heska) or medical care (Amedisys),» the independent firm explains.

Regarding the performance of these companies, Andy Acker, fund manager at Janus Henderson Global Life Science and Biotechnology. In September, he analysed the weak performance of small and mid-sized biotech companies as the healthcare sector accumulates double-digit gains through 2021, but was optimistic about the recovery of the healthcare sector globally. «Like the broader stock market, medical device stocks experienced volatility in the third quarter. However, attractive valuations, continued innovation and increased M&A activity could help support the sector,» Acker believes.

PASSIVE MANAGEMENT: INDEX SELECTION

EU-regulated healthcare ETFs have seen net inflows of €1.125 billion so far in the year to 31 October, according to data from Global X . Morgane Delledonne, head of research at thethematic ETFs, notes that «index selection ultimately depends on investors’ objectives, whether they want to focus on a sub-theme (e.g. genomics or digital health) or gain relevance to broader themes (biotech or healthcare innovation).» In addition, index methodologies are important for niche exposure. «Mutual funds weighted by market capitalisation let the market determine the winners in that theme, while balanced-weighted funds buy the losers and sell the winners based on rebalancing,» he says.

The Invesco Nasdaq Biotech Ucits ETF allows exposure to a benchmark sector equity index, but filters out companies that must meet minimum market capitalisation and liquidity requirements, and also limits the maximum weighting to 8% to avoid overexposure to any one stock.

The iShares Healthcare Innovation Ucits ETF, meanwhile, offers exposure to the two biggest trends: technological advances and demographic changes.

SPANISH: DIVERSIFICATION AND GROWTH

«The healthcare sector is a medium- and long-term growth sector due to the ageing population, which means that potential demand is constantly increasing,» says Jordi Más, manager of the CaixaBank Multisalud fund. Which, he says, was also one of the funds «richest in assets»before the pandemic.

It is one of the «most unknown sectors in terms of sub-segments, and one of the positive aspects is the great diversification it offers us», notes Elena Rico, manager of Renta 4 Megatendencia Salud. The medical technology segment «is one of the most attractive in terms of revenue growth rates, margins, low debt levels and large investments in innovation».

The manager of Imantia Futuro Healthy believes that «for retail investors, any company that deals with improving the quality of life (medical advances, longer life span, better nutrition, sports) is interesting».

CHINA: THE MARKET WITH THE MOST POTENTIAL

Over the past five years, China’s healthcare sector has grown at an average of 15-20% per year, with healthcare spending growing faster than GDP. As a result, the Invesco China Healthcare Equity Fund invests in this market, which could grow over the long term thanks to rising demand for healthcare services that benefits from the country’s growing middle class and ageing population: by 2050, there will be more elderly people than children in the country.

The two main drivers of the sector, according to the executive, are the advances in the healthcare technology curve and China’s healthcare reform, «with extraordinary growth potential from the arrival of new medicines».

UBS AM has also launched a China Health Care fund this year, demonstrating its interest in the emerging markets sector.

INNOVATION: WHAT LIES AHEAD FOR COVID-19?

At Carmignac, innovation is found in several sectors and one of Mark Denham’s favourites, head of European equities, is healthcare, currently the largest sector in the Carmignac Patrimoine Europe portfolio.

Specifically, it represents 15-20% of the portfolio with exposure to three sectors: large pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and technology or medical devices. Indeed, its managers have always found opportunities in these areas, even before the emergence of the coronavirus.

They point out that «the fund has had very little exposure to Covid-19 because many of the stocks involved in vaccine research, such as Moderna, are in the US, while the fund focuses on Europe. Still, we have companies involved in the fight against Covid, such as AstraZeneca, but we have added the name for other reasons».

This Wednesday has been published in the Official Bulletin of the Province the call for the Entrepreneurship Integra 4.0 of the Provincial Council of Cuenca. Endowed with 100,000 euros, the aim is to tackle the demographic challenge of the province by creating opportunities through the promotion of existing talent in the rural areas of Cuenca.

This action has its starting point in the Integra 22 pilot project and is aimed at companies that have started up in the last 18 months or are newly created. As well as those that move to municipalities with less than 5,000 inhabitants, according to the Cuenca Provincial Council in a press release.

Elena Carrasco, vice-president and deputy for Demographic Challenges, Entrepreneurship, Science and Technology Park and European Affairs, expressed her satisfaction with the continuity of this project, which seeks to promote the spirit and entrepreneurship of the rural population, encouraging the creation of new activities.

For this reason, a wide-ranging regulation has been drawn up which includes, among other things, «renovation work, machinery, furniture and transport, where appropriate» among the eligible expenses. Carrasco also wanted to emphasise that this call for applications is not incompatible with other aids set up by other government bodies, such as the Regional Ministry of Economy, Trade and Employment.

The deputy also specified that «the total budget is 100,000 euros» and each project will receive a maximum of 6,000 euros, which will be granted as a first advance of 60 percent of the aid, while the remaining 40 percent will be paid after justifying the investment. Carrasco invited all those interested to present their projects in the next 10 days, as in this way the Diputación de Cuenca aims to be an ally of all emerging business ideas that need this financial help to develop.

The beneficiaries of this call can be individuals or companies that have been in business for 18 months or less at the time of the call, or that plan to relocate their business to a municipality of less than 5,000 inhabitants. The required documentation will include the presentation of an executive business plan.

In addition, there will be an evaluation committee that will take into account criteria such as video presentation, project development, economic and financial viability, creativity and innovation, overall quality and job creation, among others.

Applications are submitted through the electronic office of the Diputación de Cuenca.

This Tuesday, Sant Josep de sa Talaia Town Hall is hosting a training and innovation for entrepreneurs of the municipality, with the aim of «explaining the basic ideas and key strategies for participants to learn about new tools and concepts», that can help them in their business project and achieve better results, or for people who are thinking of developing a new economic project to learn about a series of strategies that can be very useful in the future», said the Deputy Mayor for Economic Activity, Pilar Ribas.

This training day was held in the morning and was attended by around 40 people. The programme consisted of providing participants with knowledge of current marketing trends, explaining the digital environment as a tool for promoting business and presenting various examples of success. Two experts associated with the University of Girona spoke on these topics: Oriol Cesena, an expert in local business and tourism development, and Anna Serrano, an expert in digital communication and new technologies.

This training day complements those already held during 2021, which sought to bring technology closer to local businesses. Training entrepreneurs to improve communication with the public administration and offering workshops for business start-ups, as well as many other initiatives of the San José Local Development Agency. For all information on grants, courses, workshops and training, visit the website: https://www.adlsantjosep.com/.

Entrepreneurship and Innovation Day

Today, entrepreneurship plays a key role in the economic development activities of communities. The entrepreneurship and innovation are the driving force behind the economic projection of the city of Sant Josep.

The identification of mechanisms and strategic tools for the development of new business projects is a benchmark for the future in a municipality like Sant Josep de sa Talaia.

Programme

9.30 am – 10.30 am
«Key ideas for starting a new business» with Oriol Cesena, who will explain the main conditions that all entrepreneurs must take into account when planning their business.

10.30 – 11.30 h.
«Key strategies in the promotion and dissemination of a business», with Ana Serrano.
An analysis of the key elements to determine the promotion strategy and digital positioning of your business.

11:30 – 12:00 h. Coffee break.

12 h – 13.30 h
«Successful business models».

With three representative speakers of successful entrepreneurs in selected areas, there will be a particularly short presentation of each of them at the table, followed by a discussion.

Register

Sant Josep de sa Talaia Town Hall (Sala de Plens)
9 November 2021
09:30 a 13:30 H

Money does not like uncertainty and Brexit remains a political adventure full of doubts and shadows. But the UK is too attractive to turn its back on. More than half (54%) of the 102 Spanish companies with direct investment in the country, surveyed as part of Barometer 3 of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce (CCE), consider the economic climate in the UK to be «acceptable» or «good». The entry into force of the trade agreement signed between London and Brussels at the beginning of 2021 has brought stability and legal certainty that has reassured many companies. A year earlier, in the previous barometer, two out of three companies had a very negative view of the UK business environment. «Although bilateral trade has decreased, mainly due to the restrictions caused by the pandemic, Spanish companies still consider the UK a priority market,» says Eduardo Barrachina, president of the SCC.

Historically, the United Kingdom continues to be the most important destination for Spanish direct investment. It accounts for 16% of this investment, second only to the 19.4% that goes to the US market. The main recipients are the financial and telecommunications sectors, followed by energy supply, insurance, air transport, retail and hospitality. Spain’s contribution to the UK economy created 161,000 jobs in 2019, the latest year for which figures are available.

The main complaint of the companies contacted focuses on the current situation of the UK labour market. Their perception has worsened over the course of a year, with 22% of companies believing that current legislation does not allow them to meet their employment needs, and 27% unable to find staff with the right skills. The worsening situation is mainly due to the end of free movement of EU citizens and the new, much stricter immigration laws.

91% of the companies that participated in the Barometer say that the UK market remains strategic for them and more than half, 58%, have not made any significant changes to their investment plans in the country during the Brexit process. The UK government has not yet fully implemented the new bureaucratic procedures relating to customs and health checks, and some companies have not even fully prepared for them. The immediate future is still full of uncertainty, but up to 42% of companies plan to increase their investment in the UK by 2022.

A total of 15 start-ups from seven different countries have reached the final of the «Circular Urban Challenge», a European competition between companies linked to the circular economy, organised by TheCircularLab – Ecoembes’ open innovation centre for the circular economy- in collaboration with Logroño City Council.

Its main objective is to find the most effective and innovative solutions, mainly based on new technologies or business models, to address three specific challenges faced by cities in the field of circular economy and waste recycling: urban citizen science and circular economy, innovative technologies for urban waste management and second life, and innovative use of recycled materials for urban applications.

During the competition, more than 100 startups went through different selection phases by a mixed jury made up of experts from TheCircularLab and Logroño City Council.

The aim of this initiative is to support innovative startups that focus their activity on the development of solutions to the main challenges of the circular economy that cities are currently facing.
After the presentation of the applications, an evaluation process was carried out according to criteria such as the maturity of the projects presented, the level of innovation used in the development of the proposed solution, the effectiveness in solving the problems formulated in one of the three proposed challenges or the milestones achieved by the startups themselves that show a positive trajectory.

Specifically, 15 startups were selected for the final round: BeFC (France), Heyliot (France), Lixo (France), Co2mmon (Germany), SPRK (Germany), Giunko (Italy), Re Learn (Italy), Impact Recycling (UK), Recycleye (UK), Veridis (Netherlands), UBQ Materials (Israel), Blue Room Innovation (Catalonia), Liight App (Community of Madrid), MatMap (Community of Valencia) and SpectralGeo (La Rioja).

On 25 November, a ceremony will be held at TheCircularLab in Logron to announce the 15 finalists of the competition, where the five winners will be announced and receive a prize of 5,000 euros.

«This cutting-edge initiative, the result of the agreement between Ecoembes and Logroño City Council, allows us to continue on the path of the circular economy, to jointly find useful and innovative solutions for recycling and circularity, and to achieve more sustainable cities through technology». José Luis Moreno de Castro, Director of Innovation at Ecoembes, said.

TheCircularLab is creating the first label that recognises the work of the best circular economy entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneurship is and always has been a huge source of improvement for society as a whole, providing us with the ideas and tools we need to move forward and adapt to the changes that have occurred over the years. So today, on the occasion of World Entrepreneurship Day, TheCircularLab, Ecoembes’ open innovation centre for the circular economy, presents the goCircular Pass. A seal that seeks to recognise the work of those entrepreneurs who strive and sacrifice to develop new projects with great potential and capacity to achieve and accelerate the transition to the circular economy.

Recognition and visibility are key factors to support and promote entrepreneurship in our country, as well as to continue working towards a more responsible and sustainable model of society for the planet. For this reason, TheCircularLab has created the goCircular Pass, to offer these startups the opportunity to stand out within the circular economy business community and provide successful startups with the opportunity to attend dedicated events with key players in the sector.

Applying for the seal is completely free and the requirements to obtain it are to be part of a consolidated startup that is less than 10 years old, have a high level of innovation in its products or business model, offer a portfolio of solutions or products that contribute or can contribute to the circular economy and provide supporting documentation that demonstrates the startup’s ability to add value to the circular economy. In addition, it is also important that the startup is part of the goCircular Radar, a map of the most innovative startups in the circular economy sector.

Nine Spanish startups have already won this award thanks to their innovative projects and their contribution to creating a more sustainable future: Matmap, BlueRoom Innovation, CMplastik, Liight, SpectralGeo, Piperlab, Eficen, Pixelabs and RDNest. An evaluation committee of experts with extensive experience in the circular economy, formed by TheCircularLab, is responsible for the evaluation of all applications and the final decision on the award of the goCircular Pass.

«At TheCircularLab we have been working since 2017 to promote and support circular business projects, providing the tools and resources to do so. And through the goCircular Pass, we want to offer a well-deserved recognition to the startups that, with their effort and work, are developing projects with great potential and capacity to achieve our goal, a company based on an economic and productive model based on the three principles of the circular economy, i.e. reduce, reuse and recycle», says Zacarías Torbado, coordinator of TheCircularLab.

Since the creation of TheCircularLab, entrepreneurship has been a strategic pillar of the development and growth of the open innovation centre. In this regard, a great deal of work has been done to foster collaboration with more than 200 entities (technology centres, universities and companies) in the field of the circular economy and packaging recycling. In addition, the Centre has a startup and project accelerator that has evaluated more than 300 startups from the five continents and has accelerated 30 of them in its more than three years of existence.

With people looking for alternative ways to make money, especially with the impact of COVID on the financial system, people’s interest in the stock market has grown. There are a number of social trading and financial platforms to guide people who want to invest money in the stock markets. Today, even university students are interested in the stock market.

In line with this, social finance platforms such as StockGro, MyVoleo, Tradegyani have been designed to attract millennials and Generation Z customers to stock market investing education.

Platforms like Inventory Gro interact with customers in many mock periods and help them engage with specialists and neighbourhood members to enhance their buying and selling experience and investment.

«Opening a Demat account, KYC for investing in stocks or bonds can also be a cumbersome procedure. As a result, many people get confused and often fall by the wayside,» says Ajay Lakhotia, founding father of StockGro.

The platform simplifies this method for new customers by offering them digital money when they create an account, which they use to buy and sell in real time. Like gaming platforms, it also has writing boards where people can see who is getting the highest return on investment. It also brings people together to discuss funding concepts and trends, just like on social media.

«The definition of long-term financing has changed; people are moving from being passive traders to energetic traders and chasing the moment. Millennials are driving short-term investments, which are held from a few days to a month. Also, compared to middle-aged professionals, college students tend to research the market more continuously and devote many hours to it, so they are better able to time the market. About 30% of our clients are college and university students,» says Lakhotia.

Although StockGro predominantly targets millennials and Generation Z, there are several different platforms for traders of all age groups {and from all professional backgrounds}.

Advantages and disadvantages

There are some pros and cons to these platforms, mainly depending on the profile of the investor. «People don’t usually have an overall investment plan in any sense. Without a plan, investing haphazardly is the main drawback,» says Suresh Sadagopan, a registered fund advisor (RIA) with the Securities and Alliances Board of India (Sebi) and founding father of Ladder7 Monetary Advisories, a monetary planning agency.

«The options on many social trading and financial platforms are quite generic and also product-specific. You have to be transparent about one’s monetary objectives, such as when you want returns, what the dangers and rewards can be, and so forth. They should perceive why and where they should invest. These parameters vary greatly from person to person and the generic options of social buying and selling and financial platforms could not help in this matter,» Sadagopan adds.

When a person has other monetary commitments, such as the costs of raising a young child or caring for a dependent, he or she should be prudent before investing, he or she says.

«However, these platforms are a start for younger people who need to invest and have smaller monetary commitments. These platforms educate them financially and they can get more information about investments,» says Sadagopan.

In short, you have to be careful when it comes to investing in the stock markets.

Stock trading is booming among millennials, but are they rushing too fast?

At a time when savings rates have fallen to less than spectacular levels, more and more people are tempted to trade equities in order to take on more risk for higher returns.

In her research, Dr Angel Zhong, a senior lecturer in finance at RMIT University, found that in Australia alone, retail investors’ trading volume in equities increased by more than 60% during the lock-in period compared to the pre-COVID period.

This is backed up by new data from Commonwealth Bank’s CommSec equity trading platform, which shows that the number of its clients with no trading experience has more than doubled in the last year, from 8% before February to 18% in December. The majority of these new customers (83%) are under the age of 44 and are made up of millennials, Generation X and Generation Z consumers.

But are young people going into business for the right reasons and with enough preparation? Let’s take a look.

Why equity trading is booming

Zhong said there are a number of factors, in addition to record low interest rates, that are causing this surge in stock trading. Some young people saw it as a way to kill time when they were stuck at home. Others were driven by «FOMO» (fear of missing out) to join the trade after the global stock market crashed last March and share prices plummeted.

One of them is Diren, a 20-year-old university student from Sydney who decided to try his hand at stock trading last year. With a lot of time on his hands because of the pandemic, he invested $1,000 in September with the aim of increasing that pool of money to $10,000.

«I was trying to find a way to make money when I am at home. I looked into different things like dropshipping, affiliate marketing, day trading and investing. Buying shares seemed like the easiest of all the options I was researching and I kept getting ads for the investment platform eToro, so I decided to look into it,» he said.

Diren’s portfolio is now worth about $3,000, but he says the initial hurdle for him was the fear of losing money because he had no previous or professional trading experience.

«There have definitely been times along the way when I have lost money. The first few weeks, or even months, I was in the red and most of my positions were losing money, which was very demoralising,» he said.

«However, all the companies I invested in, I researched them thoroughly, trusted them and just had to hang in there and, in the end, they all went into the green and made big profits.

According to Diren, the key is patience and playing the long game.

«Warren Buffet, one of the world’s greatest traders, said: ‘The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient’, and I found that to be very true,» he said.

«There have been many times when I have seen stocks fall a lot, and I have been very keen to sell to cut my losses. But if I was patient and persevered through the fall, it almost always recovered and went higher than before.

«I think it’s very important to be prepared to lose some of your money as well, and to be comfortable with that.»

Online stock trading: What are my options?

The good news is that today it is much easier for retail or non-professional investors like Diren to enter and participate in the stock market. This is thanks to the rise of online stock trading platforms such as Superhero, eToro and SelfWealth. According to Dr Zhong, a big advantage of these platforms is that they are often low-cost. For example, SelfWealth (Classic), which won the Mozo Experts Choice Best Casual Trader Award 2020, charges a brokerage commission of only $9.50 per trade.

However, the downside of using these low-cost platforms is that you do not necessarily have access to in-depth stock analysis. However, some online options, such as CMC Markets and CommSec, offer live market data, analysis and detailed information to clients with more premium accounts, although you have to pay more for these features.

While the internet has made stock trading more accessible, Zhong says it has also given rise to a phenomenon known as «social trading». Here, retail investors exchange stock trading ideas and provide unmoderated investment advice on social media sites or discussion forums such as Reddit and Hotcopper.

A prime example was the recent frenzy around GameStop, when an army of amateur investors rallied on Reddit to buy shares in the struggling US video game retailer GameStop, sending its price skyrocketing. While some walked away with a fortune, others who got caught up in the social media hype ended up losing money.

«In Australia you have to be licensed to give financial advice. But [on social media] anyone can comment and give advice,» Zhong said. «If you are an average retail investor without any financial or investment background, it may be difficult to judge which comments are correct and which are biased.

«Social media trading»is sometimes advertised on online trading platforms as «copying», where a user may choose to copy someone else’s strategy. While this may seem like an easy path, Zhong said it is absolutely crucial to do your own research.

Tips for trading shares

What other tips should you consider before your first operation?

Here, Zhong offers some of them:

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket: A good way to protect your portfolio, says Zhong, is to avoid «putting all your money in one or two stocks». It is important to diversify, not only in the number of stocks, but also in the different sectors in which those stocks operate. For example, buying ten shares in ten different banks is not considered diversification.

Be realistic about wins: as anyone who frequents social media will probably tell you, most people prefer to share the best or most successful parts of their lives. The same concept applies to stock trading, and Zhong says research on financial behaviour shows that people tend to count only their gains and omit their losses. This can create a mentality that «it’s easy to make money because everyone says they’re making money», which can lead to unrealistic expectations and disappointment. Instead, be prepared for losses.

Research thoroughly: According to Zhong, it is important to research thoroughly and take everything you read with a grain of salt. «A newcomer to the stock market has to understand that some trading strategies are the exact opposite of others, because different analysts may have their own opinions,» he said. For example, one expert may recommend a «buy», but another may interpret the same signal as a good opportunity to sell. So rather than following one expert’s opinion, it may be wise to consider several recommendations.
Know who you’re investing in: Speaking of research, it’s also relevant to thoroughly investigate a company and its sector before buying. This may mean reading their financial reports and future plans, as well as keeping an eye on who they work with and whether they are launching new products. Some experienced investors may even think about a stock for several months before making a decision. The government website Moneysmart recommends starting with a sector you are familiar with, as this can give you a better chance of seeing whether the company’s position is strong or weak.

The Diputación de Málaga will support a project to promote resettlement.

The Diputación de Málaga will financially support a project of Cicerones Rurales, Arrabal and Acción contra el Hambre to promote population and employment in municipalities with less than 20,000 inhabitants in the province. Pueblos covid Free, una oportunidad para la repoblación will be developed in El Borge, Benarrabá and Tolox.

This initiative was presented this Thursday by the fourth vice-president of the Diputación de Málaga, Natacha Rivas, responsible for citizenship and depopulation, together with the deputy for the elderly, third sector and international cooperation, Francisco José Martín, the mayoress of Tolox, Francisca García, and Marina Gámez, from the organisation Cicerones Rurales.

Rivas stressed the support of the provincial institution to entities that contribute to improving the quality of life of the population, especially in rural areas, and recalled that this project, endowed with 17,900 euros. It is part of a set of initiatives funded by the Diputación de Málaga through the Delegation of the Elderly, Third Sector and International Cooperation, within the call for aid to the third sector.

The aim of the project is to promote the development of sustainable economic models through social innovation, with an emphasis on quality and safety, and taking into account the resources offered by the smaller municipalities of the province.

In this context, he highlighted the importance of investing in social innovation and social entrepreneurship as a tool to face the demographic challenge in the province. In addition to reducing the digital divide through training or creating social entrepreneurship through the sustainable valorisation of the natural resources of the territory.

The head of Cicerones Rurales, for her part, stressed that this initiative will serve to promote domestic tourism in the province and to promote employment among young people in rural communities and combat depopulation.

The actions to be carried out include communication actions to promote domestic tourism (dissemination of content through social networks, television and radio); advice on entrepreneurship and sustainable innovation for rural resettlement; webinars on business models and sustainable innovation for rural resettlement; and advice on communication based on tourism initiatives.

This year, the Provincial Council will allocate 846,000 euros to third sector entities to implement community care projects in municipalities with less than 20,000 inhabitants, in addition to half a million euros for the purchase of sanitation and hygiene supplies for Covid-19.

One of the worst affected areas is the Serranía de Ronda, where many municipalities are experiencing a further loss of population.

Support for a start-up ramp to encourage rural and social entrepreneurship in areas of Málaga

The project «Malaga activa en rural«, supported by La Noria and Asaja, offers training and will accompany the projects in the areas of business management, motivation, financing and environmental sustainability.

Businesses are also opening in rural and agricultural areas of the province. The Provincial Council’s La Noria Social Innovation Centre and the Agricultural Association of Young Farmers (Asaja) have set up a business creation centre that offers training and mentoring for social entrepreneurship in rural areas through the triple effect. Thus, the social, economic and environmental dimensions will be the ones that companies and entrepreneurs will have to evaluate and take into account when making strategic decisions. The project of the social entity «Málaga activa en rural» is part of a collaboration agreement between the provincial institution and the La Caixa Banking Foundation.

In a statement, Natacha Rivas, fourth vice-president and deputy for Social Innovation and Depopulation, explained that the institution «is committed to creating and promoting new opportunities and economic and social activities in rural areas through the sustainable enhancement of the natural resources offered by the province». Rivas added that «with this project, we seek to introduce activities in rural areas that promote the settlement of the population and prevent their departure».

The programme will offer distance or «e-learning» training provided by experts through «Campus Agrario» and will accompany the social entrepreneurship projects in areas such as business management, motivation, financing and environmental sustainability. You can register now via the La Noria website (www.malaga.es/lanoria). The activities are aimed primarily at young people and women entrepreneurs from rural areas, under 40 years of age, living in rural areas of Malaga, mainly in municipalities of less than 20,000 inhabitants, and who are motivated to start an economic activity in their own environment.

Training itinerary

The president of Asaja Málaga, Baldomero Bellido, for his part, assured that «the objective is for the participants to complete the entire training programme. This will improve the working environment and the atmosphere of self-employment, with the aim of strengthening the roots of the youngest inhabitants of rural areas and creating a real economic and productive structure that promotes social entrepreneurship,» he said.

The project is mainly based on a series of practical workshops that will provide guidance on the most important points in the implementation of the participants’ ideas, provide concepts on the knowledge and skills needed to master the environment and offer tools to integrate the triple bottom line into the project and to facilitate their personal development and activate their motivation.

Informative workshops and mentoring events will precede the online course, which will cover the topics covered in these sessions. Topics such as business management will be addressed with practical and useful content, delivered by professionals in the sector and in collaboration with social partners, fostering partnerships between actors.