Photo (left to right): Dr. Mostashari, Bryson Lee (2nd place, 8.20% return), David Becker (4th place, 6.61% return), Marjam Siddiqui (1st place, 10.64% return), and Dean O’Mara. Not Pictured: Luke Davis (3rd place, 7.68% return).
Lundy-Fetterman School of Business students Marjam Siddiqui, Bryson Lee, Luke Davis, and David Becker were named finalists in the Spring 2023 Stock Market Game (SMG) after spending their semester developing investment portfolios for the competition.
Campbell Business partnered with How the Market Works, a 100% free virtual stock market simulator that allows students to practice investing before using real money. The platform is currently used by over 400,000 individuals and students each year.
Forty-seven students in ECON 202 Principles of Macroeconomics and ECON 420 Money & Banking competed against their peers, under the direction of Dr. Shahriar Mostashari, associate dean for external relations and professor of business, for a 13-week period.
Dr. Mostashari shared, “Given the current state of the economy and looming recession, fiscal gridlock, stock market volatility, Fed’s rate hikes, and the first Twitter-fueled bank runs, the top three teams’ average return of 8.84% in 13 weeks is something to celebrate.”
Marjam Siddiqui, a junior History major with a teaching licensure from Benson, North Carolina came in first place. She earned almost an 11% return with a strategy focused on safe bets.
Siddiqui outlined her model for investing, stating, “My personal strategy throughout the semester was to purchase stocks and leave them be, paying close attention to how the market shifted and impacted them.”
She added, “My experience with the game was quite pleasant. I initially was very worried because of my lack of knowledge of the stock market, but after watching some of the online tutorials provided by the game website and some personal google searching, I found the game to be quite easy.”
This cohort of students got hands-on experience, each receiving $100,000 of virtual cash, to use in developing a successful investment portfolio by investing in real world stocks, bonds, IPOs, and mutual funds traded on NYSE and NASDAQ exchanges.
Each team was required to trade (buy and sell including short sell and short cover transactions) in each of the four bi-weekly portfolio reporting periods.
Students used class lectures, textbook materials, and a broad range of print and online sources including the Education Center on How the Market Works website to prepare their personal portfolio reports listing their portfolio holdings and transaction history.
Dr. Mostashari shared, “Financial literacy and personal finance are added bonuses for students taking these Spring classes. In addition to tracking the US economy and the Fed watching, students learn the art and science of investing.”
David Becker, a junior Trust & Wealth Management major from Dunn, North Carolina placed fourth in the competition, finishing with a return rate of 6.61%.
Becker said, “I would try to buy in when stocks fell under their 50-100 day moving average and would set a sell-stop-loss to trigger a sell if the stock fell under a certain price to control my losses.”
“I really enjoyed playing the stock market game. It taught me how unpredictable the market can be, and how you have to roll with the punches.”
Kevin O’Mara, Dean of the Lundy-Fetterman School of Business, said, “A major part of the student experience for our LFSB students is their involvement with simulations, projects, and competitions. We believe students learn best when actively engaged whether as individuals or in groups.”
“The SMG is a wonderful example of what we value in the LFSB. Dr. Mostashari should be applauded for his commitment to engaged learning, and we congratulate our students for their outstanding performance. I expect a few of them will join our Burt Family Student-Run Investment Fund in another course where students invest real money based on their analysis.”
The Burt Family Student-Run Investment Fund (SIF) was established in 2021 through a generous contribution by the Burt Family. The fund is currently overseen by Dr. Corrine Carr and allows students an opportunity to evaluate current stock trends and invest real money in the stocks of the group’s choosing.
If a student is interested in taking the next step in their investment journey, they can contact Dr. Corrine Carr (carr@campbell.edu) with their interest in joining the Burt Family Student-Run Investment Fund.