Winners in Curtin Malaysia’s Trading Competition receive prizes

Miri – 11 March 2024 – The Curtin Finance and Investment Club (CFIC), the student-run academic club for accounting and finance students at Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia), celebrated the successful conclusion of its Trading Competition held at the Curtin Trading Room, the university’s unique teaching facility that provides a real-life trading floor experience, recently.

The three-month competition, which was held during the semester break between November 22 last year and February 23, was open to students of Curtin Malaysia’s Faculty of Business and Faculty of Humanities and Health Sciences.

According to Alpha Anak Ngadan, a lecturer in Faculty of Business’ Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics and advisor to the CFIC, said the competition was conducted via an online platform where participants were given a virtual account with an initial capital of USD100,000 each.

“The virtual trading account allowed the participants to trade in U.S. stocks and cryptocurrency. The top three participants with the highest portfolio values at the end of the period won cash prizes amounting to RM1,500,” he said.

Coming out tops was Sim Hao En with a total return of 873.14 per cent, followed by first runner-up Alvin Lee Ken Ming with a total value of 662.50 per cent, and second runner-up Leong Tin Rouh with a total return of 22.55 per cent.

Sharing his winning strategy, Sim said he focused on studying price patterns and using leverage to target the rate of returns. His key to earning huge returns was thorough planning and preparation prior to any trade.

Lee said his strategy was to go through screeners or filters to identify potential stocks that met his trading requirements. He allocated 30 minutes a day for trading.

Leong, meanwhile, said she is still a beginner at best, and as she was trading for the first time, she was cautious in most of her trades and spent up to two hours a day monitoring her portfolio. She remarked that her biggest challenge was to manage her portfolio risk, a crucial aspect of successful trading.

Speaking on behalf of the CFIC, Alpha thanked Miri mayor Adam Yii Siew Sang, also the state assemblyman for Pujut and a member of the Curtin Malaysia Council, for his generous sponsorship of the cash prizes. He said the sponsorship contributed to the competition’s success and significantly enhanced its impact.

Alpha said that the club wishes to invite others to join its upcoming talks and workshops on stock trading facilitated by both internal and external speakers, adding that the club will continue to advocate the importance of financial literacy among Curtin Malaysia’s students and the public so that they can make informed financial decisions in the future.

Dr Fayrene Chieng Yew Leh, a senior lecturer in the Marketing, Management and Digital Business Department and the Faculty of Business’ associate dean of learning and teaching, congratulated the three students on their wins, saying it is important for the students to equip themselves with all the necessary knowledge and skills to be effective financial professionals of their future.

“As we all know, the financial market plays a crucial role in our global economy. Understanding its dynamics and learning the art of sound investment are valuable skills, not just for finance majors, but for every individual striving for financial independence and a secure future,” she said.

Dr Chieng pointed out that the competition was an effective platform to instil such knowledge and skills, providing a simulated platform for students to hone their investment strategies, analyse market trends, and make informed decisions in a controlled environment. It has equipped them with the practical skills required to navigate the real world of finance, fostering critical thinking, decision-making, and risk management.

For more information on business majors at Curtin Malaysia, visit curtin.edu.my/study/.

More information on Curtin Malaysia can be found at curtin.edu.my, or look for Curtin Malaysia on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, or TikTok.

Dr Chieng (far right) and Alpha (5th right) pictured with the winners and other participants.jpg

Alpha (far right) presents mock cheque to Sim, the first-place winner, witnessed by Dr Chieng and others

Lee (4th left), the first runner-up, receiving his prize from Alpha