From June 11-21, the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics hosted about 30 master of finance students from the University Institute of Lisbon (ISCTE), who came to learn about stock trading and get a first-hand taste of the United States financial system. Much of the learning took place in the Geltzeiler Trading Center, which is set up to provide a similar experience as Wall Street trading floors, with real-time stock feeds, workstations and access to the Bloomberg trading terminal. Students also traveled to Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and New York.
The program, which Lerner has hosted many times since 2011, is managed by Paul Laux, a professor of finance and JP Morgan Chase senior fellow in the Lerner College. Laux and Mattias Fleckenstein, also a professor of finance, offered students sessions in machine-learning and smart beta trading; and hedge-fund arbitrage trading in the U.S. Treasury markets, respectively. Richard Jakotowicz, finance instructor, provided a hands-on introduction to the Bloomberg Terminal and trading.
It’s a chance to benefit and inspire a group of eager, smart students, Laux noted, while enhancing UD’s reputation in Europe at the same time.
During their trip, students got an insider’s perspective from Bloomberg’s Daniel Zelkin, Class of 2022 UD Lerner Finance alum, on using the Bloomberg Terminal for security research and a technical analysis perspective on trading with Brian Joyce, managing director of Nasdaq’s Market Intelligence Desk. The students each were awarded a certificate recognizing their work with Lerner’s professors over the previous days during the closing events on June 21.
The ISCTE students appreciated the program and many of them have posted on LinkedIn to express their appreciation. For example one wrote: “I had the amazing opportunity to join the International Program at the University of Delaware, United States, where I took part in the Trading and Bloomberg Program. The University of Delaware and ISCTE Business School collaborated on this project, which offered a very engaging learning environment. The experience was truly rewarding, as I gained practical insights into the financial markets and advanced my skills using Bloomberg terminals.”
Past students have also expressed that they found the knowledge and certification valuable in starting their careers, helping open doors to jobs with institutions such as Revolut, the European Central Bank, Deloitte and others.