MBE students participate in virtual stock market challenge

In September, fifth- and sixth-grade students enrolled in the PAGE program at MBE entered a competition in which students in grades 4-12 throughout the state of Alabama participated in a virtual simulation of buying and selling stocks. MBE students were specifically in competition with fourth- through eighth-graders in the North Alabama region.  

Students were provided with a virtual bank account containing $100,000. They used financial websites to analyze the performance of real companies in the stock market. Along with their teammates, they made decisions about whether to buy, sell or hold stock in various companies. The goal of the 10-week competition was to make as large a profit as possible from the stocks in each team’s portfolio.

During the three-month competition, MBE students listened to guest speakers who are financial advisors; kept up with current events involving businesses and stocks; analyzed financial reports and graphs for various companies and sectors; and put their math skills to the test.  All the students learned a tremendous amount throughout the competition and are able to convey why the portfolio they built contributed to a financial gain or a financial loss. 

– Submitted by Shaun Flynn/Kristi Stacks.