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PHOTO: Professor Damon Gray, Ph.D., DBA, MBA, and business students who competed in the Bloomberg Global Trading Challenge. 
 

Alvernia students continue to excel against thousands of teams worldwide

Students at �鶹��Ƶ competed in the 2025 , an international experiential learning competition that drew 2,394 teams from 394 universities across 50 countries. As a part of the BUS 410: Financial Markets course led by Damon Gray, Ph.D., DBA, MBA, adjunct professor of finance and business analytics, students applied the concepts, analytics and trading strategies they developed in class to a real-time market simulation using the Bloomberg Terminal. With more than 11,000 students worldwide executing over 72,000 trades during the five-week challenge, participants gained firsthand experience navigating portfolio management, market volatility and data-driven investment decision-making.

“This year’s results show how effectively our students can apply what they learn in class to a competitive, real-world environment,” said Gray. “Developing and testing a trading strategy in Python, then implementing it on the Bloomberg Terminal, provided an experience that goes far beyond what a textbook can deliver.”

One of Alvernia’s teams placed first at the university and 309th globally, finishing in the top 13 percent of all competitors. Over the past several years, Alvernia has built a strong record of success in the Bloomberg Global Trading Challenge, consistently finishing among the top-performing institutions worldwide. Throughout the challenge, students utilized a momentum-based investment strategy developed in BUS 410 and strengthened their understanding of how global economic forces influence trading outcomes. Their performance demonstrates the practical value of applying classroom knowledge to real market dynamics and the importance of experiential learning within Alvernia’s finance curriculum.

“The experience gave me a much clearer picture of how real-world markets move and how investors navigate them,” said marketing student Harold Ivery ‘28. “Dr. Gray’s real-world insights from the New York Stock Exchange made complicated ideas easier to understand and helped me feel confident going into the competition."

The strong performance also reinforces Alvernia’s continued commitment to building a curriculum that blends theoretical knowledge with practical, hands-on engagement. Each year, the Bloomberg Challenge provides students with an opportunity to test their skills, collaborate as a team and experience the fast-paced decision-making required in professional finance environments. Faculty leadership echoed the importance of experiential learning in preparing students for global business careers.

“This achievement speaks volumes about the quality of instruction and mentorship our business students receive,” said Tufan Tiglioglu, Ph.D., chair of the Header School of Business. “The Bloomberg Terminal offers unparalleled access to financial data, and opportunities like this challenge prepare our students exceptionally well for the finance industry.”

As Alvernia continues to integrate applied learning into its business courses, the university’s consistent success in the Bloomberg Global Trading Challenge highlights the dedication of both students and faculty to academic excellence and career readiness.

“As a sports management major, I didn’t expect to become so interested in finance, but this experience sparked a genuine curiosity in the markets,” said Gabriel Birli ‘26.