Interest in Bermuda's Stock Exchange and the local companies listed on it has been phenomenal, according to author of the Blue Book 2007 and LOM Securities (Bermuda) investment advisor Jeremy Dyck.

The Blue Book, which is an overview of companies listed on the BSX, detailing a brief description of each, 2006 and half-year 2007 results and forecasts and recommendations for investors in the future, hit the streets earlier this month to popular acclaim, with 300 printed copies and 100 electronic versions (email) being produced in the first print run.

And Mr. Dyck reckons that could be just the tip of the iceberg with more interest being generated by the day.

"The response has been terrific," he said.

"It has been up over last year and this is something we are building on."

The take-up has been particularly good from new investors as more people learn about local companies and the BSX, according to Mr. Dyck.

"People coming in are interested in opening up accounts and we have found out that a lot of people didn't actually know about the local stock exchange, so that is encouraging that there is interest out there," he said.

He was even asked to go into Mount Agnes School in Hamilton to teach the students about the stock market and how to go about investing in it.

"They were doing a stock market competition and I showed them the basics of how the stock market works," he said.

"It can sometimes be a hard concept for youngsters to get interested in, but when I started to mention some specific well-known companies like Apple and Research In Motion, they are names they can associate easily with.

"Because they were doing a competition, I gave them some advice on stocks and talked to them about diversification of investment such as stocks versus bonds, earnings and dividends.

"It went well over the normal class time, so I hope that is a sign they enjoyed it."

Mr. Dyck also met with Greg Wojciechowski, president and CEO of the BSX, as well as speaking to a number of companies featured in the book to get their feedback on the report.

"I met with Greg and he was very thankful of the report," he said.

"I talked to the BSX about the possibility of more domestic issuers coming on board in the listing, including maybe some from the telecom industry."

But for now though, Mr. Dyck, who is off to a new posting at LOM's offices in Nassau, the Bahamas, is just keen to keep the word out there that the local stock exchange is a good place to invest your money and what better way to do that than by backing local companies.

"It is an alternative way of raising capital rather than taking out a big loan at the bank," he said.

"Overall, it has been a big success so far, but I am going to keep up with the research, both by keeping in contact with the BSX and the listed companies news releases.

"This is my first big research report and it has been a great venture for myself personally, and hopefully for all the executives at the respective companies too."

To get your hands on a copy of the Blue Book or to find out about investing in the BSX contact LOM at 292 5000, e-mail info[AT]lom.com or drop in to their offices at 27 Reid Street, Hamilton.