The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has suspended the foreign exchange trading license of Consolidated Bank Ghana (CBG) for one month, effective from November 26, 2024. This action was taken due to multiple breaches of foreign exchange market regulations, including violations of guidelines for inward remittance services and anti-money laundering directives aimed at combating the financing of terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

The license will be reinstated once BoG is satisfied that CBG has implemented effective controls to ensure strict adherence to these regulations. This move underscores BoG’s commitment to enforcing compliance with financial regulations in Ghana’s forex market.

By this statement, the Bank of Ghana cautions foreign exchange market players to adhere strictly to the applicable forex market regulations and guidelines.

Good morning my awesome readers. The journey of life is just another bet.
Do you agree? well, I will leave that to you, my awesome readers to decide.

The English Premier League and other major leagues have started and well into week 7. Major investment decisions were made by clubs and this has also affected the decision making by various stakeholders, including punters/investors. I occasionally place some bets on my favorites teams and this necessitated this write up after discussion with a friend. Are you making gains/losses from betting/investment? Take a moment to reflect on this.
Betting and investing in Equity/stock Market- Similar principles yet so different. Controversial? Well, let’s dive in.

Now the equity market is characterized by volatility, that is the prices of shares could go up and down on a regular; Same for betting, you can either lose or win big on a regular. The difference in here is that for equities, you don’t lose your total investment unless the company winds up- even so there’s a last resort where company assets may be sold and after everyone else has been settled, shareholders would be paid. Unfortunately for betting, when you lose,
there’s no remedy. Your money is gone.

Secondly, both are “long term” in nature. Equity investors would normally have a long term perspective. Same as betting, from my experiences and those shared, you lose over a period and hit once in a while. So you have to be patient yet consistent over a period; ride the downsides until your big break happens. Thus, the “long term” here is the patience you need to have. Caution- you should know when to stop and don’t be greedy. For equities too, there is a stop loss order where you can tell your broker to sell your shares when the prices falls to a particular level. Do not go borrowing to bet. That’s a big NO! But in some equity markets you can actually borrow through what is termed as short selling.

Thirdly, both are information sensitive- betting odds are shaped by history and information about who and who are going against each other. What is the likelihood of Team A winning against Team B, what is the current form, are there some injury concerns for any team, who is their coach, what is the head to head between both coaches and who’s playing home or away and the likes. Equity prices are also hugely influenced by information available on the market. Is there a good corporate governance structure, is there an upcoming merger or acquisition, is
there a potential dividend declaration etc. This is largely determined by how efficient the market is.

Finally the most important point…
EXPERTS? Betting experts- Come on! Nothing like that, just predictions based on instincts and a few historic happenings, that’s it, nothing more. So why pay for betting odds?

EXPERT Equity analysts? Fundamental or technical analysis: Paying attention to quantitative data to price a security when the qualitative evidence is also very important . Reason every analyst has a different valuation and expectation of the same stock! One says sell, another says hold, yet another says buy more. Same for bet- one says Team A is going to Win, another says Team B, eventually, the match ends in a draw and you are left seething through your teeth.

In summary, even though they are different, there are some similar characteristics as seen.
PLEASE BET / INVEST WISELY.

WhatsApp has recently introduced two new features for its Status updates: the ability to like statuses and to tag or mention contacts within a status update. Here’s what you need to know:

Status Liking

Users can now show appreciation for someone’s status by tapping a heart icon, similar to liking a post on other social media platforms. When you like a status, the poster receives a notification, enhancing interaction without the need for direct messaging.

Private Mentions

This feature allows users to tag specific contacts in their status updates. When you mention someone, they receive a private notification, and only they can see that they’ve been mentioned, keeping the interaction discreet from other viewers.

These features are designed to make WhatsApp’s Status more interactive, mirroring functionalities seen on platforms like Instagram Stories.

They’re currently rolling out globally, meaning if you haven’t seen these options yet, you might need to update your WhatsApp app from the respective app stores (Google Play Store for Android or App Store for iOS) to access these new features.

The introduction of these features indicates WhatsApp’s continuous effort to evolve its platform, making it not just a messaging app but also a more dynamic social interaction tool.

This aligns with broader trends where instant messaging apps incorporate more social media-like features to keep users engaged within their ecosystem.