Baruch College MFE Students Claim First Place at 2023 Rotman International Trading Competition
Team Sets All-time Scoring Record; Sixth Win in Past Eight YearsMarch 3, 2023
Baruch students from the Master of Financial Engineering program once again claimed victory at the Rotman International Trading Competition (RITC) — finishing in first place and establishing a new all-time scoring record.
This year’s achievement continues Baruch’s impressive winning streak on the global stage of trading competitions. Teams have secured the top spot for four consecutive years, and also claimed first place in 2017, 2016 and 2012 at the RITC’s high-pressure, intense, three-day simulated market challenge.
This year, Baruch competed against 42 universities from 13 countries including Australia, Canada, Croatia, France, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Thailand, United Kingdom, and the United States.
Baruch’s 2023 winning team members are: Aneesh Subramanya (’23), Mingsen (Mason) Wang (’23), Chengxun (James) Wu (’23), and Xingyu (Tony) Zhu (’23).
Professor Jarrod Pickens, PhD, in the Department of Mathematics at the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences coached the team. The participation of the Baruch MFE Program at the RITC competition this year was supported by Virtu Financial.
“Take Pride in Winning”
“Baruch has a culture of competing and winning the Rotman competition that has been fostered over years,” Subramanya said. “It’s a competition that we all look forward to, train for, and take pride in winning. I wanted to continue this rich tradition.”
Zhu expressed confidence that the 2023 team would fare well at RITC due to Pickens’ guidance and support.
“Baruch’s past success does pose some pressure, especially considering that we have won five times in the past seven years, and we were on a three-year winning streak,” Zhu acknowledged. “However, this is also a strong reflection of Baruch’s leading position, which made me confident that if we performed similarly to our training at practice, we would be good enough to win the title, which is what happened.”
For Wang, the experience will help him attain his career goals.
“RITC is one excellent example of the many opportunities the Baruch MFE program offers students. We have equal exposure to both the established theories of academia and the latest developments in the industry, helping us think in a both systematic and innovative manner, which would be an excellent quality in career development.”
Wu added: “Preparing for RITC has honed my ability to make appropriate trading decisions in different market environments. On the other hand, when the market moves against expectation, such adversity also helps me to adapt quickly in a short period of time.
Teamwork: From Beginning to End
“The competition also focused on teamwork,” said Wu. “I was able to prepare with my teammates from the beginning to the end, and we showed strong cohesiveness even under the pressure of the competition. We encourage each other when the market moves against us, we maximize our results with cooperation when opportunities come, and we cheer together when we won the title.”
About Baruch’s MFE Program
Baruch College’s MFE program is a STEM-designated program that produces competitive, successful, and highly skilled practitioners by promoting the study of mathematical and algorithmic models in finance.
QuantNet’s annual ranking of Best Financial Engineering Programs in the U.S. has ranked Baruch’s MFE program #1 for three consecutive years.
Learn more about the program, employment statistics, and internship placement success.
About the Rotman International Trading Competition
The Rotman International Trading Competition is an annual event that brings teams of students and their faculty advisors from universities worldwide to participate in a unique 3-day simulated market challenge. RITC 2023 marked the 19th anniversary of this trading competition, currently the world’s largest. The teams compete in a diverse range of trading cases including volatility, electricity, liquidity, and algorithmic.
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