JHS Student Finishes Fourth In Stock Market Challenge
Jacob Johnson, a Jamestown High School sophomore, finished fourth in the Junior Achievement Virtual Stock Market Challenge in November.
The Junior Achievement Stock Market Challenge introduces learners to the stock market. Participants are introduced to the fundamentals of stocks, the impact of world events on the stock market, long-term investing, and how investors make decisions to diversify portfolios. Students applied their learning in a simulated stock market environment and are tasked in making decisions about a set of fictional stocks and interpret current events and trends in the market.
“While participating in the Junior Achievement of WNY Stock Market Challenge I learned and took advantage of these three strategies: cutting my losses short; paying attention to the news; and keeping my portfolio diverse when needed,” Johnson said. “Cutting small losses before they became much larger losses helped me maintain my money so I could invest in the better and more important stocks. The news was what carried me to victory because it let me know what I should or should not invest in and it also let me know what to get rid of/sell. Finally, when the news had nothing great to mention, I diversified my portfolio of stocks and that would almost guarantee no loss of money and maybe even a gain. It was a pleasure participating in the stock market challenge and I had fun throughout the event.”
Johnson finished in fourth place with a “net worth” of net worth $857,779.45 and a “Return on Investment” of +71.6% moving up the ranks during the intense competition from 27th to fourth during the duration of the competition. Five hundred students from 13 schools in the Western New York region participated. Johnson participated as a student in Amy Schultze’s JCC College Connections Personal Finance course.
“In this course, students investigate stock market concepts before they begin the Stock Market Challenge, such as: earnings per share, price earnings ratio, average rate of returns, and other investment fundamentals,” Schultze said. “Providing students with a solid foundation in personal finance and business development will enable them to focus on long term financial planning and investment strategies.”
Johnson now will move on and compete in a live stock market challenge in Buffalo in the spring.