Photo courtesy of Trang Thai
The College of Business’ Student Managed Investment Fund team received first place in the poster session competition at the Student Managed Investment Fund Consortium in Chicago.
The event was hosted by Indiana State University and brought together about 60 universities nationwide, with more than 30 schools competing in the poster division.
UTA’s team, composed of three participants and two volunteers, were selected through a mini competition among students, said Trang Thai, clinical assistant professor of finance and real estate.
The team presented detailed posters highlighting metrics from the portfolio such as Sharpe ratio, which measures overall performance, and beta, which reflects risk. The group also summarized its portfolio’s performance, risk management strategies and overall investment philosophy, according to a UTA press release.
UTA SMIF is one of the youngest and smallest programs, launched in May 2020 with $50,000. Now, the team has grown its fund to about $125,000, achieving an average annual return of 18% to 19%.
Thai said this win marks UTA’s fourth victory in five years and its first in Chicago. Previously, UTA has won three times in New York City.
She said this year’s recognition was special because it evaluated the criteria to win more comprehensively.
Preparation for the competition involved studying posters from years prior, investigation, analysis and finally design. The team built data-driven charts in Excel and rehearsed answers to potential judge questions.
“The nice thing about the competition is it’s not about the absolute dollar, it’s about the percentage change. So as long as you grow well, your rate of return is great, you can compete,” Thai said.
Beyond the competition, Thai hopes the win will bring more visibility and alumni support to the College of Business. She also plans to expand the program by adding a club component, allowing students from other majors who don’t meet the prerequisites for the class to participate.
“Finance may be intimidating, and it’s not simple, but it’s not hard either,” Thai said. “It could be learned.”
Business analytics senior Maricarmen Hernandez said representing UTA at the national competition was an honor. She said she contributed to designing the presentation and its layout. The team rehearsed with mock interviews to practice answering questions about the portfolio.
She said the toughest part was keeping up with the financial terminology Thai would use when asking questions during practice.
“When she would say something that I honestly didn’t really understand what she meant, I would ask her, look it up myself to clarify what kind of question she was asking me about,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez said she enjoyed observing other universities’ projects at the conference. She realized that many of the competing schools were private institutions with larger, more established funds. However, she said UTA’s portfolio performed better than the rest.
Hernandez said the team members were first overwhelmed by the professionalism and reputation of other universities, but after hearing their presentations, they realized they were just as knowledgeable and capable.
“If you know your stuff, no one can stop you, you just need to keep learning and be the best at that,” Hernandez said.
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