As the new year begins, students from the Broadwell College of Business and Economics at Fayetteville State University are setting a strong standard, ranking in the top 1% of teams nationally and globally in the 2025 Bloomberg Global Trading Challenge, one of the world’s most competitive university investment simulations.
Eight teams, comprising 28 BCBE students, competed against 2,695 teams worldwide, including 623 from U.S. colleges and universities. Over five weeks, participants managed $1 million in virtual capital using the Bloomberg Terminal, developing strategies to outperform international benchmarks such as the Bloomberg World Large, Mid & Small Cap Price Return Index (WLX index).
Treasury Titans, the college’s top team led by MBA candidate and Economics and Finance Club president Shalini Haridasyam, finished third in the United States and 16th worldwide. The team placed in the top 1% and earned over $130,000 in profit.
Two other teams also excelled: Desert Blooms, led by business administration student and EFC member Trinity Covington, and Talomon, led by MBA candidate and EFC board member Ramon Cristian Rocha-Silva. Both teams ranked in the global top 100, at 43rd and 75th, respectively.
The remaining five teams ranked in the top 75 nationally, demonstrating the program’s depth and consistent excellence.
Beyond the rankings, these accomplishments reflect the college’s commitment to preparing students for professional financial environments that demand analytical precision and responsiveness to real-time market conditions. By using the same technology platforms as global banks, investment firms and financial institutions, students gained experience aligned with industry standards, bridging classroom learning and real-world application.
The teams’ impressive results were made possible by the mentorship of Shakir Ullah, Ph.D., associate professor of finance, and Mónica García-Pérez, Ph.D., distinguished professor of economics, whose guidance was instrumental in navigating the competition's complexities.
Ulysses Taylor, dean of the Broadwell College of Business and Economics, expressed his appreciation for their “exceptional leadership and unwavering commitment to student success,” describing their guidance as truly exemplary.
Institutional investment in experiential learning also played a crucial role. Taylor highlighted the contributions of Kimberly Smith-Burton, Ph.D., professor of mathematics education, for supporting the acquisition of Bloomberg Terminals through a U.S. Department of Education grant, calling it “an investment that continues to elevate our students’ experiential learning.”
Collectively, these results demonstrate the college’s role in producing graduates with analytical skills prepared to compete and contribute to the global financial and economic sectors.
This is the first year of the Veteran Business Expo, and it grew out of Fayetteville PWC’s Economic Impact Program, which focuses on expanding access and opportunity in public-sector contracting while strengthening the local economy. It builds off th
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