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Birkbeck team places third in UK University Trading Challenge

Students excel in competition designed to showcase their financial skills and acumen to industry professionals

Birkbeck students come third in the UK University Trading Challenge

Birkbeck students impressed the judges with their financial and business acumen in this year’s University Trading Challenge, at Kingston Business School.

Following the success of last year’s University Trading Challenge, Birkbeck submitted two teams to participate in this year’s competition. The two teams – one from the Department of Economics, Mathematics and Statistics (EMS) and the other from the Economics and Finance Society (EFS) – competed against other universities across the country.

Birkbeck gained a number of awards in the University Trading Challenge, claiming first place in the Investment Banking Challenge Presentation, and finishing in overall third place in the competition at large. Meanwhile, the EMS Team came third in the overall University Trading Challenge.

The competition for 2015 had four main components: The Trading Challenge, a Portfolio Challenge, a Treasury Trading Challenge and an Investment Banking Challenge. The live portion of the competition (Portfolio Trading Challenge, Treasury Challenge and Investment Banking Challenge) took place on Friday December 4 at Kingston Business School.

During the whole process of the multi-stage challenge, students participated in intensive and interactive competitions, gained first-hand experience in the world of trading and were able to demonstrate their financial skills and acumen to industry professionals. Additionally, the main aim of this competition was to ensure that teams were profitable and display their ability to manage risk.

On the 4th December, William Tait, a third year BSc Financial Economics student and the captain for the Birkbeck EFS team, won fourth place on the individual trading standing – highly commendable, as he made nearly $400,000 in profit. Additionally, William’s financial instinct guided the EFS team, in terms of profit, to third place for the section.

The Treasury Challenge saw Kevin Lau, a third year BSc Economic and Social Policy student on the EFS Team, make an astonishing $3.4 million USD in profit, focusing primarily on fluctuations in the Japanese Yen against the Pound Sterling.

The final element of the competition was the Investment Banking Challenge, where the Birkbeck EMS Team delivered a fantastic presentation, earning them the top spot in this section.

The presentations were then followed by a short Q&A by the judges who questioned the students on their decisions as to why they chose to hedge certain markets and at what level. The judges were impressed by both teams, but especially by the EMS Team, where they were highly praised for their professional delivery and understanding of financial markets.

To read the full report from the day, see the BEI news story here

The Birkbeck teams were:

Birkbeck Economics, Mathematics and Statistics Team

  • Sophie Grimmer, Captain (BSc Financial Economics – 2nd Year)
  • Levan Getia (BSc Financial Economics – 1st Year)
  • Inam Hussaini (BSc Financial Economics – 2nd Year)
  • Jordan Scott, (BSc Financial Economics – 1st Year)

Birkbeck Economics & Finance Society Team

See also related article: Birkbeck students participate in Venture Capital Investment Competition

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