Investing like a pro? For Tio students with investment ambitions, the Stocks & Bonds minor fits the bill. In eleven weeks, they learn all the ins and outs of the financial market and they start investing and trading independently. This week in the online finals, three finalists present their impressive results. Beginner's luck? Not at all! Investor talent!
Stockbrokers in the making
Shares, bonds, securities, options and investment portfolios. The Stocks & Bonds minor is for Tio's bachelor students who are not studying business, but would like to learn more about the financial world. The finals are preceded by a week-long virtual stock exchange game, allowing students to dive into the world of financial trading to try to make as much (fictitious) profit as possible. All aspects of trading on the stock exchange are addressed. Today, in an exciting online final, three finalists from different Tio campuses present their results.
How did the students complete the assignment?
During convincing presentations, which all take place in English and at home from behind the webcam, it becomes clear how much financial knowledge the students have acquired. One by one, they share how much profit they made, how their methods worked out and explain the lessons learned. Hotel and Event Management student Saskia tells us that she acted on the basis of both fundamental and technical analysis, and that in hindsight, she could have taken a little more risk. Exchange student Ana, on the other hand, took risks more frequently by focusing mainly on short selling.
Tip: do your research and trust your intuition
The best strategy? That was the approach applied by Hotel and Event Management student Maureen Wakelkamp of Tio Utrecht. She wins a cheque worth € 450. "Maureen has shown that she has gained a lot of knowledge about building a portfolio. She made a lot of money based on short selling. That is quite a feat if you don't have an economic background. And her presentation looked great," said the jury. Maureen's strategy? Keeping a close eye on the news, doing a lot of research and reading books, taking risks and above all trusting your feelings. "I thought it was a great minor and I learned so much," she says after her presentation.
Exchange student Ana Castillo Vicente comes in second and Hotel and Event Management student Saskia de Vries, of Tio Utrecht, finishes third.