KUALA LUMPUR: Midway through the EdgeWiz Campus Investment Challenge 2015 (ECIC ’15), a handful of universities are dominating the rankings. But the results could well change when the online stock market competition ends on May 15.
ECIC ’15 is a corporate social responsibility initiative by The Edge weekly to educate the next generation of investors and help those new to the stock market make informed decisions about investing in equities. It is in line with The Edge’s focus on promoting financial literacy and English through The Edge Education Foundation.
EdgeWiz is recognised as an investor education tool by the Securities Commission (SC) Malaysia under the SC’s InvestSmart initiative.
Players are allocated $100,000 each in virtual currency to invest in stocks listed on Bursa Malaysia based on live stock prices. The exchange approved EdgeWiz’s request for access to Bursa’s real-time market information for the purpose of the competition.
As at close of trading on April 30, a team from HELP University was ranked No 1, with a combined portfolio value of $2.03 million. The team, Uptown Funk, consists of Pik Keh Yang, Foong Yew Wah, Lim Chao Yi and Kok Kim Fung.
Hot on Uptown Funk’s heels is a team from Tunku Abdul Rahman (TAR) University College in Setapak, Selangor, with a combined portfolio value of $1.98 million. RFIG2 consists of Lee Tzyy Cherng, Dazzlyn Tan Shyh Lyn, Cheah Weng Loong and Aeron Chee Mun Hoe.
In an indication of how quickly the rankings can change, at close of trading on April 29, RFIG2 was the top-ranked team, followed by Uptown Funk.
In third place is Quantum TradeS from Sunway University, followed by CAPM, another team from TAR University College.
Having two teams from TAR University College in the top five is not surprising as it has almost 900 students and 90 teams registered to play in ECIC ’15.
Rounding up the top five and pipping teams from better-known universities is Holland Stocks from the Asian Institute of Medicine, Science & Technology (AIMST), a private university set up by the educational arm of MIC in 2001 and located in Kedah. AIMST has 16 students and three teams registered to play in the competition.
In the Top Individual category, the rankings are dominated by players from two institutions — TAR University College and Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), with a student from KDU University College making up the top five.
The rankings for all three categories are based on realised profits while the competition is in progress. The final results at close of trading on May 15 will be calculated based on both realised and unrealised profits in each player’s portfolio.
“It’s hard to determine [the winners] now as things could change when realised and unrealised profits are added together,” said EdgeWiz Pte Ltd chief executive officer Jeffrey Wong.
A total of 5,030 students and 362 teams from over 60 universities and colleges throughout the country are vying for prizes, which include a cash prize of RM10,000 for the top team and internships of up to six months at the SC for each of the four winning team members. The top individual player will win RM2,000 and an internship of up to six months at the SC.
UiTM leads public universities in the number of players with just over 200 students and 27 teams. It is followed by the University of Malaya with 182 students and 12 teams, and Universiti Sains Malaysia with 130 students and eight teams.
Among private universities and colleges, HELP University is second to TAR University College with 347 students and 39 teams, followed by Taylor’s University with 296 students and 38 teams.
This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on May 5, 2015.