The Yale University team finished in a tie for second place at the Third Annual Global Investment Research Challenge, held on April 2 in London. The winner of this year’s Global Challenge was Nanyang Technological University from Singapore. University College Cork, Ireland; and Fundação Getulio Vargas School of Business, Brazil rounded out the final four.
"We had a great time competing in London. I was very impressed with the quality of research from all the teams, and am glad to know we have such intelligent and interesting colleagues around the world” said Steven Hao, Yale’s team captain. “Overall, I think the Yale team did a great job in the past few months, and will walk away from the experience with a much better understanding of the investment research process, and the industry as a whole."
Steven Hao, Ayung Tseng, Martin Wexler, Stephen Oshman, and Michael Simpson led Yale to the New York regional title and a spot in the Global finals based on their report and presentation on Phillips-Van Heusen (NYSE: PVH).
Commenting on the event, John Rogers, CFA, president and CEO of CFA Institute, said: “I am very impressed by the standard of talent that the Challenge attracts. Throughout Europe, Asia, and the Americas, more than 1,000 students from 240 universities have taken part in this year’s competition, and the amount of time and hard work they have put into their research is remarkable. Each team is a winner in its own right, having shown commitment and dedication in this competition. If this is a sample of the future talent planning to enter the profession, the industry should become even stronger in the years to come.”
The Global Investment Research Challenge is an educational initiative in which leading industry professionals guide business and finance students in researching and reporting on a publicly traded company. This event spanned one academic year, and consisted of analyzing a public company, mentoring by a professional research analyst, writing a research report, and presenting research results and recommendations to a high-profile panel of experts. Marks were awarded to teams on the basis of their investment case, their poise, and their ability to answer the judges’ questions. The teams were sponsored by local CFA Institute member societies, each of which previously hosted country heats of the Challenge.
For more information about NYSSA’s Investment Research Challenge, please visit www.nyssa.org/IRC.
