M.S. in Math Finance Students Place Sixth in International Competition

Sunday, December 5, 2021
The students competed against nearly 400 teams from 24 countries.

A team of UNC Charlotte graduate students tested their trading skills in an international electronic trading competition, placing sixth overall. 

The team, made up of students in the Master of Science in Mathematical Finance, competed against 386 teams in 24 countries in the 2021 University Trading Challenge, sponsored by CME Group.  

Team members were: Luca Costa, Giovanni Del Ben and Pietro Lami, dual master’s degree students with Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (UCSC) in Italy; and Cody Prentiss and Lilly Su Yeung. 

During the competition, which ran Oct. 3-29, students trade futures through a simulated, professional trading platform. 

Prentiss, who was captain of the team, said the students came together through shared courses. 

"None of us had ever competed in a trading competition before," he said. "However, all of us come from backgrounds that consist of rigorous curriculums and competitions of different varieties. We would often communite through WhatsApp and have weekly meetings to discuss strategy and ideas."

He said Yeung's experience with the Nittany Lion Fund at Penn State and through an internship with Bank of America was important to the team's success. 

Two other UNC Charlotte teams also competed, placing among the top 20% of teams.

The nationally ranked interdisciplinary M.S. in Math Finance program is offered through the Belk College of Business and the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.

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