Bloomberg’s latest trading challenge embraces AI and empowers students

Following on from our announcement of the recent Global Trading Challenge, Bloomberg for Education and Bloomberg Human Resources hosted the latest cohort of the Terminal-based competition at the HBCU AI Trading Challenge, the third installment of the trading event. This year’s challenge took a leap forward by integrating AI-driven stock investment strategies, providing students from nine Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with invaluable real-world experience.

A challenge focused on the future of finance

For six weeks, students dove deep into the world of finance, utilizing simulated portfolios to execute trades within a universe of AI-exposed single-name equities. Supported by university faculty and Bloomberg mentors, they honed their skills using the Bloomberg Terminal, gaining practical knowledge directly applicable to the industry.

This year’s participating institutions included:

• Clark Atlanta University
• Delaware State University
• Florida A&M University
• Hampton University
• Howard University
• Morgan State University
• Morehouse College
• North Carolina A&T State University
• Spelman College

Investing in AI and real-world skills

Students started with $1 million virtual US dollars and competed to achieve the highest time-weighted relative return, benchmarked against the Bloomberg Artificial Intelligence Aggregate Equal Weight Total Return Index (BAIAET). The grand prize winner received a one-year free trial to Bloomberg.com for the school, with runners-up receiving a six-month subscription.

The grand prize winner, Makia Smith, a junior at Morgan State University, spoke on her success. “I attribute much of this win to my relationships with my friends, classmates, and networks. These connections helped me to develop my trading strategy, and learn new things about AI as a sector, which I know I can continue to use in the future. The most helpful resource to me was the Bloomberg Terminal itself; I got to learn new functions and through the data, was able to see the real value in attentiveness to the market on a day-to-day basis, especially when there is much volatility. Also, as an e-board member and a manager of Morgan State University’s student-managed investment fund, we utilize the Terminal constantly for investment analysis, research, and certifications, and this challenge really helped us level up our skills. I’m so appreciative to Bloomberg for the opportunity and career support — it’s clear that the company is very focused on providing access to expanding knowledge.”

George Micheni (Professor Morgan State University), Janisia Bennett, Makia Smith (Morgan State University), Kahron Williams, Caroline Miller

Networking and career development

Beyond the trading competition, students gained valuable insights from industry leaders Trillium Trading and Allspring Global Investments.

Throughout the challenge, students had the chance to network and receive career advice via webinars from the two firms. “Trillium’s alignment with Bloomberg on initiatives like this is a clear win-win,” said Ben Baller, Managing Director of Trading at Trillium. “We applaud Bloomberg’s commitment to education and experiential learning in finance. We look forward to continuing to support initiatives that promote diversity, education, and career development in trading and finance.”

“We value the importance of mentoring and exposing the next generation of talent to the asset management industry,” said Sonya Rorie, Deputy Chief Diversity Officer at Allspring. “As part of our commitment to financial literacy and social mobility, we feel it’s important to introduce the broad range of opportunities within asset management and how students can best use their strengths and skills to thrive. We are honored to partner on these outreach opportunities which can hopefully increase the pipeline of talent within our industry.”

Participants also had the unique opportunity to visit Bloomberg’s headquarters in New York City, tour the office, network with industry experts, and present their trading strategies to a panel for feedback.

Akash Dania (Professor North Carolina A&T University), George Micheni (Professor Morgan State University), Makia Smith (Morgan State University), Arnaldo Santos (Delaware State University), Malani Scott (Florida A&M University), Jalen Williams (Morehouse College) and Amir Sharif C. Stills (North Carolina A&T University), Samique March (Professor Florida A&M University), Nazmul Bhuyan (Professor Delaware State University)

“AI and technology remain a huge focus in the financial sector, and we were excited for students to explore key skills including market analysis, portfolio management, and trading strategy execution in an AI-driven context,” said Emily Perrucci, Global Head of User Support at Bloomberg. “We appreciate the participation from clients like Allspring Global and Trillium Trading that hosted webinars on proprietary trading and asset management, offering students insight into career opportunities and real-world applications of Bloomberg technology in trading workflows.”