NEWS & EVENTS

For the third year, a team of students from the Girard School of Business competed in the Global Asset Management Education (GAME) Forum. Typically held in New York City, the GAME Forum is the largest student-run financial conference in the world, welcoming both undergraduate and graduate students from over 45 states and more than 150 colleges and universities.

Sponsored by Quinnipiac University, the 2021 conference was held virtually on Friday, March 26, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After 2020 cancellations last March, students, faculty and industry experts were excited to reconvene online for a robust lineup, having fully adapted to a virtual platform. GAME X marked the program’s 10th active year since its inception in 2011 and featured keynote speaker panels, breakout room discussions on key topics like portfolio management, equity analysis and investment banking, and the global portfolio competition.

In past years, Merrimack has performed well in competition through The Merrimack Investment Fund, a student-led group that manages a fund of over $300,000 year-round at the Mucci Capital Markets Lab. In the group’s very first year of competition in 2019, they took home first place in the Growth category.

“The first year competing was a real whirlwind,” says Mary Papazian, Girard professor and director of the Mucci Capital Markets Lab. “We had been to the conference five years prior to actually competing. Once we had real funds to manage through joint donations from both alumni and friends of the College, we spent the year building a team, creating an investment policy and implementing an overall investment strategy.”

After the big win in 2019, the team re-entered the competition in 2020 and took home second place in the Core category. This year, students from the newly established Fixed Income Fund had the opportunity to present to industry experts, showcasing their overall portfolio performance. It was their first time both presenting and competing at the conference, and they came in second place in the Small Fund category.

“It was exciting to place second in the Small Fund category in our first year of eligibility. Considering how the world has changed drastically over the last twelve months it was great to participate in the GAME Forum this year,” says John Gagnon, a senior at Merrimack and the president of the Merrimack Investment Fund. “The team had worked diligently throughout the year to provide the return that we did and our group was proud of what we were able to accomplish. The cherry on top was knowing that we were able to place in a competition against colleges and universities globally.”

The Fixed Income team was thrilled to place for the third year in a row and carry the torch of past Merrimack competitors. The teams’ consistent performances at the conference speak volumes to the commitment Merrimack students have shown to managing real-life funds, utilizing the resources and tools in Mucci Lab and putting financial theory to practice.