2023 Bloomberg Global Trading Challenge
Background:
The 2023 Bloomberg Global Trading Challenge (GTC) is a university investment competition taken place within the Bloomberg Terminal. This challenge brought together more than 10,000 university students from 310 schools worldwide to compete for the Grand Prize with the support of the School’s Bloomberg Terminal.
Each of the 2,007 teams was assigned a U.S. one million dollar (US$1,000,000) notional amount to invest across securities, providing them with a unique opportunity to learn about investment strategies and portfolio management with transformative experience that deepened the knowledge for trading, analytical skills, and confidence.
The Global Grand Prize winning team who achieved the highest Relative P&L not only won iPad Pro prizes, but also given opportunity to network with the Bloomberg recruiting as well as contribution to a selected charity partner of the team’s choice.
Website / Image URL:
https://portal.bloombergforeducation.com/trading_challenges
Award(s) and Awardees:
Grand Prize Winner
Ms. Darmawan Jocelyn Victoria, BSc(QFin), Year 3 (Team Leader)
Mr. Sayogo Gavin, BEcon&Fin, Year 3
Ms. Wijaya Swarna, BEcon&Fin, Year 3
Faculty Advisor:
Prof. Couvert Maxime
From left to right: Ms. Jocelyn Victoria DARMAWAN, Ms. Swarna WIJAYA, and Mr. Gavin SAYOGO
Regional Prize Winner: Asia and Oceania
Mr. Liu Donglin, BBA(Acc&Fin), Year 2 (Team Leader)
Ms. Wang Yijie, BEcon&Fin, Year 2
Ms. Liu Jingyi, BBA(Acc&Fin), Year 2
(The team comprises 2 other team members from other Faculties of The University of Hong Kong)
Faculty Advisor:
Prof. Yu Jiaheng
From left to right: Mr. Tony LIU (1st left), Ms. Elena LIU (middle), Ms. Sophia WANG (2nd right)
Students Sharing:
From Grand Prize Winner
“It was such an amazing experience to win the challenge, and I would like to give a shout out to my teammates, Gavin and Swarna, who have dedicated a lot of their time and energy into researching and strategizing our portfolio allocation. I learned a lot about how the stock market reacts to different macroeconomic events, and how to capitalize on opportunities to achieve a high portfolio return. I also became more familiar with using the Bloomberg Terminal, and discovered all its built-in functions. Lastly, I would also like to extend my thanks to Bloomberg, HKU Business School (HKUBS), and Prof. Couvert, our faculty advisor, for their unwavering support.”
(by DARMAWAN Jocelyn Victoria)
“Winning the Bloomberg GTC feels like an incredible dream come true for me (I still can’t believe we came out as the champion among 2,000+ teams from around the world). While some may attribute their success to luck, I personally believe that consistently showcasing your objective analysis and executing trades wisely are the true keys to success in this intense six-week competition. Big thanks to HKUBS and Bloomberg for this invaluable opportunity. Equally important, I would also like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Prof. Maxime for his wonderful insights, as well as my teammates for their unwavering dedication and hard work throughout this challenge.”
(by SAYOGO Gavin)
“This journey – from reading Bloomberg news articles to work on my assignments to actually winning the Bloomberg GTC – is another milestone I have gained throughout my study here in HKU. The challenge has not been an easy one – it started even long before the challenge started as we formulated our own portfolio allocation. We also went through long stages of trial-and-error before we found the optimal strategy; the challenge has not been an easy and straightforward one. Throughout the process, I have learned a lot about trading, which I believe should be attributed back to my supportive teammates and our faculty advisor Prof. Maxime. Finally, I would also like to express my gratitude to HKUBS and Bloomberg for supporting us throughout the challenge.”
(by WIJAYA Swarna)
From Regional Prize Winner: Asia and Oceania
“Participating in the challenge and emerging as the Regional Prize Winner for Asia and Oceania was an incredible experience that deepened my passion for trading and improved my analytical skills.
This challenge underscored the significance of teamwork as we navigated the intricacies of trading in different countries. Due to the time difference, our team members took turns trading together, often working late nights in the Bloomberg Lab. I am especially grateful for the invaluable contributions of our team members from other faculties, Sheriff and Bernice, whose daily research significantly bolstered our profitability. Simultaneously, this challenge enhanced my understanding of the investment market and fortified my ability to handle pressure. The stock market is characterized by rapid fluctuations, with fortunes reversing within minutes. While we encountered losses during our trades, we persevered and maintained our momentum.
I sincerely thank Dr. Jiaheng YU for accepting our invitation as a faculty advisor and the HKUBS for their unwavering support throughout our challenge journey. I am eager to apply the knowledge and experience gained from the Bloomberg GTC to my academic and professional pursuits.”
(by LIU Donglin Tony)
“Throughout the 2023 Bloomberg GTC, I have gained hands-on experience in trading stocks and conducting business research and analysis, which is beneficial to my learning. From just “knowing and having heard about” the Bloomberg system to proficiently using the Bloomberg Terminal for stock analysis and enterprise research, I have witnessed my efforts and progress during the six-week challenge. Along the way, I saw how stock markets, currency markets, interest rate markets, economics, politics, news, and rumors all impact portfolio performance and it was really an eye-opening journey. Taking part in this challenge also made me realize that I still lack knowledge and skills in many areas, but I am also full of confidence and willing to meet these challenges. I am grateful for this transformative trading experience with my lovely teammates and will carry this lesson throughout my learning in HKU and my career path.”
(by WANG Yijie Sophia)
“During the tight but exciting six weeks, we took turns every day to execute our trading strategy and kept updating and improving our daily returns. We have experienced losses from unsuccessful investment decisions, additional losses due to some technical surprises, and the reverse biological clock of trading time, but I am glad we stuck with it and got a satisfying prize eventually. After what we have been through, I have perceived the importance of teamwork and time management. I am immensely thankful for my team members’ insistence and their support along the way. I am also very grateful to Bloomberg for organizing this challenge, which allowed me to have such an unprecedented experience in trading. The trading and life lessons I have learned, and the deep friendships I have made in this competition definitely meant a lot to me.
(By LIU Jingyi Elena)
