Listen to the following passage. Write in English a short summary of around 150-200 words of what you have heard. You will hear

Investing in the stock market has always been more profitable than putting money into a traditional savings account. However, it is only in the last few years that private share ownership has become accepted as a reliable form of investment. There are many reasons why more and more people are buying shares. To begin with, the whole process is now far more flexible and user-friendly and public awareness of investment products and their tax implications is a lot higher. Even more importantly, this awareness means people now realize that in the medium-to long-term shares are far more lucrative than deposit accounts. Today, people are also more likely to invest in a company for ethical reasons or as a show of support for that company.
    When deciding to invest in shares, it is essential to think about your objectives. In order to avoid an expensive mistake, you need to consider your existing short- and long-term financial commitments and how quickly you expect to see a return on your investment. Most importantly, you need to decide the extent to which you are prepared to speculate and then select the investment products which best reflect your attitude towards the perils inherent in any stock market investment.
    Recently, newspapers have been full of stories of investors realizing massive profits, usually in connection with the flood of Internet companies that have issued shares in the last 12 months. Such companies, however, are anything but a safe investment. Although people have been attracted by the phenomenal rate at which these companies are expanding, many investors have seen their shares fall well below the issue price within months of buying them.
    Private investors unwilling to tolerate high levels of risk can reduce this uncertainty by buying shares in blue chip companies, which are established organizations such as banks or large international corporations. Although such an investment may minimize risk, it also limits the potential profits. Some investors try to remove the element of risk by closely monitoring stock market movements on a daily basis or by paying a regular sum into a managed fund over a long period of time. However, no matter how carefully people follow the markets or what expert advice they receive, statistics show that the safest option is to spread risk by investing in a wide range of different companies across different sectors.
    As a first-time investor, it is vital to seek professional advice. Consultants can provide information on how to invest in the most attractive companies in both the UK and overseas. They can explain how stocks, shares, unit trusts and bonds actually work, how much each type of investment costs and, most importantly, which products best match their clients’ requirements.
    One reliable way of managing investments is through a broker, who charges a brokerage fee in the form of a percentage of the money invested. An alternative method is to deal in shares on the Internet. This incurs none of the regular broker’s commission and investors can therefore easily afford to buy and sell shares more regularly. However, although some potential investors may find online trading exciting, they should be aware that direct trading is perhaps the least secure way of approaching the stock market, with few investors having the necessary skills and knowledge to make any profit whatsoever, never mind the fortunes popularized by the media.