Imagine the flurry of excitement working at The New York Stock Exchange, the world’s largest stock market. The Wolf of Wall Street atmosphere, but with considerably less drama.
This is what our students were able to replicate through the Trading Challenge which recently took place using our Bloomberg Terminal. This was Edge Hill’s second year taking part, competing in teams against 47 countries and over 10,000 students across the globe.
50 Edge Hill Business School students competed, making up 16 teams, with each team determined to make fast-acting decisions to get ahead of their competitors across the globe. Out of Edge Hill’s teams, 4 placed in the top 15% globally – an incredible achievement. The winners within Edge Hill were students Maryam, Ali and Shane of Team MSA. Paul Marsters, Senior Lecturer in Law and Finance, was very proud to see the students push themselves and do so well in this year’s challenge.
“The whole objective is to give students a real-world experience of understanding how they can potentially read the markets, read global news, read economic news, and look at how companies operate globally, and consider the impact of external factors on the share price of companies. They’re given a million dollars of fictitious money. The idea is that they invest, track the performance, they can sell if it’s not performing well, or they can continue to build momentum if it’s selling well. This exciting learning experience allows all participants to gain an insight into the exciting and difficult world of financial markets and investments.
This year, I’d like to offer my congratulations to Team MSA for winning the Trading Challenge within Edge Hill. To come in position 121 out of 2,394 teams globally is a great achievement.”
Paul Marsters
Senior Lecturer in Law and Finance
Director of the Business School, Professor Jay Cullen, also had some words of praise and congratulations to offer the competing students.
“Absolutely fantastic, well done to all teams competing, and in particular to Team MSA – to finish in the top 5% of all teams is a truly outstanding achievement (to have 4 teams in the top 15% globally is also tremendous).”
Enhancing employability is at the heart of everything that Edge Hill stands for. The knowledge gained from experiences such as this is vital for the industry.
Students can complete certificates through Bloomberg, such as Market Concepts, which makes them stand out to employers. The Bloomberg Terminal is used in many careers such as:
- Investment Banking
- Asset Managers
- Fund Managers
- Portfolio Managers
We caught up with some students reflecting on their experiences during and after the Challenge. Harrison Holt, third year International Business student and Co-President of the Finance Society, shared how pleased he is to see the continued interest in the challenge, as well as the rising enthusiasm for finance among students.
“The challenge gives students like myself an environment to essentially learn by doing, and I know many students taking part in the challenge who actually have their own portfolios that they manage themselves. This challenge gives them a safe environment to try out ideas with money that isn’t their own, so there’s no risks. There are also students competing that are first time traders, having never used the Bloomberg terminals prior to the challenge. For this group I think the opportunity to learn about something they have never used, in a real and exciting way, is very appealing.
“I think one of the biggest skills you can gain from the Bloomberg Challenge is actually navigating the terminal. When you first open it up, it’s very complex looking and can be intimidating, but I have really noticed how quickly students pick up the ability to navigate the Bloomberg Terminals and make sense of what’s in front of them, which only improves as they work through the challenge. I also think mine and my peers understanding of what’s going on in the world has increased as a result of the challenge, as real world events and news headlines directly affect the portfolios we get to manage as part of the challenge. This definitely encourages us to read up on global news and try and link that back to how it will affect stocks.”
Harrison Holt
International Business student
“Using the Bloomberg Terminal has been a game-changer for me. As I got the hang of it, it opened a whole new world of insights. It’s been amazing to dive into real-time market information, company performance, and economic trends – all in one place. The knowledge I’ve gained has really boosted my confidence in making decisions and analysing markets. It’s also given me a lot more freedom to explore different strategies and see how things play out. The Terminal has truly enhanced my understanding of finance, and I feel like I’ve grown so much since starting.
The Bloomberg Global Challenge was an experience I’ll never forget. It was a mix of excitement and nerves, competing against people from all over the world. There was a lot of pressure to perform, but at the same time, it pushed me to apply everything I’d learned in a real-world scenario.
I have also managed to use the Terminal Insights in my assignments to give a different outlook into how external factors have affected organisations and how it can compare to their stock value.”
Lauren O’Brien
Business Management student
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December 16, 2024
