Investing on the Uganda Securities Exchange....UMEME IPO

Hey Dolls,

Hoping to raise capital on the Ugandan market, Umeme, a power distributing company, has made an  Initial Public Offer (IPO) following approval from the Capital Markets Authority and the Uganda Securities Exchange (USE). About 622.38 million shares are being sold at Shs 275 each. The last time the USE had an IPO offer was 3 years ago. I was living hand to mouth then and had no savings to speak of. This time round I am well equipped.I have been religiously putting aside money for the baby. I don't believe in just letting it sit on a bank  account making the institution richer while it earns pitiful interest so this is a superb opportunity for me/baby(It's not my money technically).

I am quite reliably informed on the happenings of the stock exchange as a result of my own research and taking part in a few financial workshops so this is an easy decision for me to take. But this morning, I decide to look at this IPO from a layman's point of view. So I set about reading up on the offer and the USE in general. At first I was shocked, then alarmed, now am truly sickened. The level of financial illiteracy in this country is deeply waring. It has been barely covered by the country's dailies of which many of them are giving biased information. Do they not have an economic analyst in their employ? Then there's hardly any information about investing on the USE aside from basic how to's from their site and a few articles from bloggers here and there. Compared to our Kenyan neighbor's, this situation is pathetic but I guess it makes sense since half(yes, half) of the retail investors on the USE are Kenyan(unreliable info from a broker on the USE).

 I weep for my beloved country.

If you are interested in the USE, try the links below. They should give you a good head start;

http://www.use.or.ug/

http://www.paulnjuguna.com/

http://investinginafrica.net/2012/03/how-to-invest-in-ugandan-stocks/  (This article is NOT written by a Ugandan)

For the UMEME IPO;

http://www.umeme.co.ug/

Laters dolls (Yes, I read Fifty Shades of Grey *runs and hides*)


Update:

More on the UMEME IPO. Ugandans are waking up or so it seems;

http://eatrader.blogspot.com/2012/10/umeme-ipo-thinking-aloud-herd.html

http://matookenation.com/you-meme/#more-5581

http://www.hipipo.com/5star/business/all/umeme-ipo-i-dream-mtn-trading-use

http://investinginafrica.net/2012/10/is-the-umeme-ipo-a-bargain/  

Fractured moonlight on the sea

Hi Dolls,

Was cleaning out my closet this weekend and I found titbits from my past that just took me a rollercoaster of emotions that I needed to blog about.Here's two of them;

1. My Baby's album:

This took me back. From my pregnancy to now 15 months later. It's been quite an experience,I cannot even begin to describe it. From the tears when I had just found I was pregnant, telling my friends then my parents, then my boss. To feeling baby's first kick. In the scan where I swore she waved at me. When I first held her. Holding her the entire night when she couldn't sleep because she had colic. Her first immunisation shot. Her first illness. Her first smile...ooohhh so many first. We've come a long long way. We can now confidently say three words: mom,sherry,bye. We are HAPPY!


2. A poem I had written for the boy:

I am not a composer unless am telling a story. But borrowing words is an art I have come to acquire. I sent this poem to the boy (I don't know when).It is written by Elizath Barrett Browning. I am awed by the emotion and devotion that had completely devoured me. Will I ever love this deeply again?

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.


I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of being and ideal grace.

I love thee to the level of every day's

Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.

I love thee freely, as men strive for right.

I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.

I love thee with the passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death.


XOXO
Have a love filled week.

Situation Update.

Hey Dolls,

Been a minute, right? Not much going on (understatement of the year)...but here's a brief breakdown of most of what has been going on.

1.The IT dream was assassinated and completely annihilated by ambitious business plans. Am still a network management engineer(Gotta make that milk money) but am slowly but surely building a small chain of baby apparel and supply stores called The Baby Store. Check us out on Facebook;https://www.facebook.com/thebabystoreug

2.The boy and I are no more. Quickly moving on.

3.Lastly,but not least...am still the fiercest mommy around. Baby is now 1 year and 3 months. That's us below. Picture taken now.

Oh...Uganda(as defined by the British) turns 50. Do not let the age fool you. We are still a highly immature lot!

xoxo