LSU Finance Students Finish in Top One Percent in Global Competition

BATON ROUGE - A group of LSU finance majors finished in the top one percent of worldwide competitors in Bloomberg’s 2024 Global Trading Challenge. With over 2,100 teams in the competition, Tiger Fund managers Henry Tanner of Raleigh, North Carolina; Thomas Abadie of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Maggie Hunter of Metairie, Louisiana; Ellen McGettigan of Houston and Augustus Roppolo of Covington, Louisiana finished in 14th place worldwide and 5th place among teams from North America. Senior Instructor Tish O’Connor, CFA, served as the group’s advisor.

In the six-week competition, each team was given a virtual sum of $1 million to invest. Participants used Bloomberg terminals to define market assumptions, develop a return-generating strategy, and execute trades over a closed network. The winning team had the highest time-weighted relative return, relative to the Bloomberg World Large, Mid & Small Cap Price Return Index (WLS Index).

“This challenge was an incredible opportunity to apply the Bloomberg terminal skills from Tish O'Connor's class in a real-world setting,” said Tanner, captain of the LSU team. “Crafting strategic, yet calculatedly risky, trades with my team and seeing our success was an unforgettable experience. My favorite part was applying a risk-seeking strategy without suffering from tangible losses. It showcased the value of teamwork, strategy and applied learning."

The Department of Finance curriculum and Securities Markets Analysis Research and Trading Lab, or SMART Lab, helped position the team for success. 

“I am extraordinarily proud of what this team accomplished,” said O’Connor. “These students analyzed, researched and traded- the building blocks of the SMART Lab. Congratulations, Henry, Thomas, Maggie, Ellen and Augie!”

Established in 2002, the SMART Lab is a state-of-the-art finance lab. With 12 Bloomberg terminals, 50 computers, a streaming ticker, and quote boards, the lab functions as a high-tech, hands-on lab and classroom offering access to financial data, leading analytic software and professional research tools.

 

About the Department of Finance

The Department of Finance offers high-quality curricula to undergraduate and graduate students interested in corporate finance, asset management, real estate, insurance, banking, financial planning and business law. The department boasts internationally renowned research faculty in several areas, including derivatives, asset management, banking and spatial econometrics. The department’s Securities Markets Analysis Research & Trading Lab utilizes the Bloomberg Professional service, the platform used by more than 300,000 leading business and financial professionals worldwide to make informed business decisions, and an extensive library of financial databases including the Wharton WRDS System. Additionally, the department encourages, supports and conducts research in real estate by housing the nationally renowned Real Estate Research Institute. For more information, visit lsu.edu/business/finance or call 225-578-6291.

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