Student Managed Investment Fund Consortium
Cal State East Bay Finance Students Attend Student Managed Investment Fund Consortium
On October 6th and 7th of 2022, members of the Student Investment Fund flew to Chicago and stayed in the wonderfully elegant Palmer House Hotel to attend the Student Managed Investment Fund Consortium which is organized by Indiana State University's Scott College of Business. Over 300 participants from 50 U.S. universities joined industry professionals to engage in networking, panel discussions, investment competitions, and industry presentations from finance professionals.
Students who attended received experiential learning from successful figures in the field of finance, were able to record best practices surrounding investment management, and were provided with professional development opportunities.
Keynote speakers included the chairman and co-CEO of Ariel Investments, a senior economist from First Trust, the head of index insights for the CBOE Options Institute, a portfolio manager from UBS Global, a chair of the board of directors for the Center for Investment Research, a relationship manager in advisor services for Charles Schwab & Co, a partner and chief technical analyst for Kingsview Partners, and the executive director and CEO of the CMT (Chartered Market Technician) Association. The keynote presentations varied in their topics, from the current economic conditions and future outlook to talks on professional opportunities for finance students like fulfilling careers and worthwhile certifications.
Students also demonstrated their investing knowledge through multiple competitions, including a poster session detailing each school’s student-managed investment fund and a firm performance analysis. Teams were judged on fund performance, visual quality, presentation of results, and overall analysis.
At the end of the talks, participants in the conference were able to visit the trading floor of the Chicago Board Options Exchange that spanned the seventh and eighth floors of the historic Chicago Board of Trade building. Members of the Student Investment Fund had an unparalleled experience in watching the market makers who are essential to daily trading operations conduct their important work while keeping the traditional system of open outcry alive and well. A guided tour of the CBOE trading floor was provided, wherein students learned the history of the Chicago Board Options Exchange, what makes them and their innovations unique, why they operate in the manner that they do, and what the working day looks like for brokers on the trading floor.