FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN IS THE TOP SCHOOL IN THE 2014-15 ALL-AMERICA STUDENT ANALYST COMPETITION WITH STUDENTS FROM BARUCH COLLEGE AND FORDHAM UNIVERSITY TAKING TOP INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
May 12, 2015 (Stamford, CT) – Mark My Media announces the results of the 2014-15 All-America Student Analyst Competition which have been published in the May 2015 print issue of Institutional Investor magazine (http://bit.ly/TopStudents2015). Over 2,300 portfolios were managed by college and graduate students from 74 schools across North America.
Using the ALPHASEAL software platform, developed by Mark My Media, student competitors could buy and sell stocks and index funds, use leverage and take short positions in mock portfolios between September 2, 2014 and January 30, 2015. All competitors participate in an Overall Competition judged by a six-factor algorithm that rewards money-making ability as well as risk management. Other categories for competition included Long Alpha, Short Alpha, Net Benchmark Outperformance (vs. the Russell3000) and a Sectors Competition that covers the following seven industry categories: Basic Materials; Capital Goods/Industrials; Consumer Products; Energy; Financials; Healthcare; Technology/Telecommunications/Media.
Roy Ophir, president of Mark My Media, explained “every industry has its ‘chicken/egg’ paradigms. ALPHASEAL gives new entrants an opportunity to prove their abilities before entrusting them with fiduciary responsibilities. It’s a total immersion experience that has been quite popular with our system users and very effective at verifying specific skill-sets for employers.”
City University of New York’s Baruch College undergraduate student Matthew K. Feldman took the #1 spot in the Overall Competition. Mr. Feldman was also #2 in the Net Benchmark Outperformance Competition and #11 in the Long Alpha Competition. As a school, Baruch was #2 with 16 students in the top 100; Professor Bruce Kamich was the adviser.
The #1 graduate student in the Overall Competition was Jason Ayat, an MBA student at Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business. Mr. Ayat was #5 in the Overall Competition; #3 in the Energy Sector Competition; #13 in the Short Alpha Competition, and #15 in the Net Benchmark Outperformance Competition. Fordham was the #3 school in this school year with 14 students in the top 100; Professor Robert Fuest was the adviser.
Mr. Feldman and Mr. Ayat will each receive an award for their performance at Institutional Investor’s 6th Annual U.S. Investment Management Awards on this Thursday May 14, 2015 in New York City.
The #1 school in 2015 was the University of Texas at Austin, which had 20 students in the top 100. Professor Kelly Kamm, the winning team’s faculty adviser says, “Luck alone will never do it, you have to have skill, and you have to put effort into it.” UT Austin dominated the Short Alpha Competition with seven of the top 20 spots and put up a strong showing in the Sectors Competitions with eleven students placing. The top UT Austin student in the Overall Competition was Suzanne Felfelli, who placed #3. Ms. Felfelli made eight trades during the Competition and had a 100% batting average. Her impressive portfolio can be seen at www.alphaseal.com. UT Austin’s Katherine Cramer tied for the most individual awards of any student in the 2014-15 school year with a #1 finish in the Basic Materials Sector Competition; #4 in the Energy Sector Competition; #6 in the Short Alpha Competition and #29 in the Overall Competition.
Complete results can be found online at www.alphaseal.com.
The top 10 schools in the 2014-15 competition:
Over 5000 students have participated in ALPHASEAL competitions since 2011. Many top performers from previous years are currently working at prestigious firms in the financial services industry. Employers and recruiters are invited to use our proprietary talent database to match the skill-sets they require against what’s available in this year’s graduating class.
About Mark My Media
Mark My Media, based in Stamford, Connecticut has a sophisticated software platform called ALPHASEAL® that helps business students bridge the gap between what is taught in the classroom and what is expected on the trading floor by giving them a tool to track stock performance along similar metrics as those used by investment professionals. Mark My Media gives recruiters and employers access to precious data about highly qualified and engaged entry-level prospects. For additional information please visit www.alphaseal.com.
About Institutional Investor
Now in its fifth decade, Institutional Investor has consistently distinguished itself among the world’s foremost financial publications with groundbreaking journalism and incisive writing that provides essential intelligence for a global audience. In addition, Institutional Investor offers a host of proprietary research and rankings that serve as respected industry benchmarks. For more information, visit www.institutionalinvestor.com.
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Mark My Media Contact:
Roy Ophir,
Ophir@Markmymedia.com
(203) 359-5695
Institutional Investor Contact:
Tom Johnson
(212) 224-3160
tjohnson@institutionalinvestor.com