Stock Market Team rallies a win

A team of young Marksmen proved that Lions can rally a bull market. Five boys from the Middle School Stock Market Club recently placed first out of 87 local teams in the SIFMA Foundation’s fall 2022 Stock Market Game.  

Congratulations to Saarth Bagdure '30, Corbin Reed '30, Asher Saluja '30, Dhilan Saluja '30 and Halston Miller '30. Nationwide, St. Mark’s ranked 190th out of 2,814 competing teams, including both middle and high school categories.  

The young investors took an (imaginary) investment of $100,000 and placed virtual stock market trades throughout the fall. While most of the market saw only losses or modest gains, the Middle School Stock Market Club posted an impressive return, ending the game with a balance of $107,195.04. The boys credit their success to a well-diversified portfolio with companies in the technology, retail and entertainment sectors.  

“We meet regularly during flex time to discuss companies, stocks and portfolios,” said Kurt Tholking, the club’s faculty sponsor. “The boys work as a team to research what stocks they want to buy and must follow certain rules. While I am the advisor for the club, the boys do all the work themselves. I do not make any suggestions.” 

Team members are already researching their picks for the next round of the competition, which runs from January through the end of April. 

The Stock Market Game is an online simulation of the global capital markets that engages students in grades 4-12 in the world of economics, investing and personal finance and has prepared nearly 20 million students for financially independent futures. The game is organized by the SIFMA Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to fostering knowledge and understanding of the financial markets for individuals of all backgrounds.