Real World Experience
Beginning in early November, the TradeQuest program is a test of endurance, stamina and aptitude that crosses two financial quarters and permanently touches the lives of its participants. Teams are given virtual capital on the NYSE and NASDAQ exchanges, and the Bahrain Bourse, and expected to invest it actively and produce as good a return on investment as possible. We had to educate ourselves on the instruments by which the performance of stocks are measured, while beginning to become aware of the wider news events which could at any second plummet the value of our portfolio.
Navigating this frigid financial environment, with a particularly volatile market at the time, led to much stress and distress, but we persevered, learning to effectively use those same instruments to make calls. Though not easy, we managed to develop a strategy and saw significant success across the program – we gained second place overall. We were very happy to receive a BD3,000 cash prize, but the real reward of the program has been the real world understanding of finance, and the actual basis by which business is conducted in the real world; all lessons we will not forget.
Tom Griffiths – Team Leader
