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Prepare for the Challenge
Morgan Stanley UWT Milgard School of Business Stock Market Competition 2026
Are you ready to compete in the UWT Investment Challenge?
We are thrilled to announce a chance for you to win prizes by outperforming your peers! Winners will not only receive cash prizes, but they will also discover a new Financial Confidence with the knowledge and skills to thrive financially.
This opportunity opens on Monday, January 5th, to all UW Tacoma Students.
Registration Deadline: Thursday, January 15, 2026, at 11:59pm (see registration form below)
- Maximum of 20 entries
Teams must follow the client mandates to guide their strategy.
Key Dates
Phase I: Registration (StockTrak Link Required)
Opens: Monday, January 5th, 2026
Closes: Midnight (12:00 AM) on Friday, January 16th, 2026
Phase II: Trading Competition
First Day of Trading: Tuesday, January 20th, 2026
Last Day of Trading: Friday, February 20th, 2026
Phase III: Finals
Finals Presentation: Tuesday, February 24th, 2026
Time 12:20pm - 1:20pm Milgard 311
Rules & Eligibility
Eligibility
Teams of three are welcome to participate. All members of your team must be current UWT students to register.
Trading Rules & Restrictions
- Eligible Securities:
- Allowed: U.S. listed common stocks (NYSE, NASDAQ, AMEX), ETFs, U.S. Treasury Bonds, and Investment-Grade Corporate Bonds. ADRs are permitted.
- Prohibited: Penny stocks (under $5.00/share), OTC stocks (not on major exchanges), ALL Cryptocurrencies or Crypto-Related ETFs, Leveraged ETFs (2x, 3x, Inverse).
- Position Size Limits:
- Maximum single position: 25% of portfolio value at time of purchase.
- Minimum holdings: Must hold at least 4 different securities.
- Trading Frequency & Volume:
- Maximum trades (buys/sells): 80 total transactions over the competition period.
- Minimum holding period: 24 hours for stocks/ETFs (No day trading).
- Note: Portfolio turnover ratio will be considered under Rubric Category 4 (Cost & Efficiency).
- Financial Constraints:
- No Margin Trading.
- Flat trading fee of $5.
- Cash earns a nominal rate of 1% per annum.
- Market Data & Trading Hours:
- Trading Hours: 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM EST (Market Hours Only).
- No pre-market or after-hours trading.
Questions & Disputes
Rule clarifications must be emailed to the professor within 24 hours of uncertainty. Trade disputes and platform errors will be ruled by the StockTrak platform administration.
Judging Criteria
Teams will be evaluated by a panel of judges composed of finance professionals and experienced investors.
Each of the five requirements is weighted at 20% of the total score (Maximum Score: 50 Points).
Criteria (Weight: 20%)
| High-Score (8-10 Points)
| Mid-Score (5-7 Points)
| Low-Score (1-4 Points)
|
1. Client Mandate Adherence
| Strategy clearly matches the client profile; decisions consistently reflect objectives; no material contradiction.
| Mostly aligned, but with occasional inconsistencies.
| Strategy contradicts client preferences (e.g., active for passive client).
|
2. Risk-Adjusted Performance (Sharpe Ratio)
| Strong Sharpe Ratio relative to peers; return profile appropriate for risk tolerance.
| Average performance; some volatility spikes or inconsistencies.
| Excessive volatility or disproportionately low returns for risk taken.
|
3. Investment Thesis & Actions
| Clear, coherent thesis linked to macro drivers; logical, consistent actions; evidence of deep research.
| Good research, but logic lacked depth or clarity.
| Weak/Vague thesis; actions appeared random or reactive.
|
4. Cost & Efficiency
| Trading frequency appropriate to mandate; costs minimized (e.g., no unnecessary repeated trades).
| Some unnecessary trades or mild inefficiencies.
| Overtrading or poor cost control.
|
5. Presentation Quality
| Well-structured, polished materials (final report); effective storytelling; confident, professional delivery.
| Good presentation with minor organizational gaps.
| Unclear, poorly structured presentation; unprofessional attire.
|
Quantifiable Metric Focus:
- For Sharpe Ratio (2), teams should note the formula and compare their results against the relevant S&P 500 Benchmark (e.g., 1-Year S&P 500 Benchmark: 0.86).
- Sharpe Ratio tutorial https://youtu.be/rdhDmQOUMUE?si=Ga7LkSd73uE-ze6M
- For Mandate Adherence (1), any violation of the Trading Rules & Restrictions will result in a clear pass/fail threshold, potentially leading to disqualification or a significantly lower score.
- For Presentation Quality (5), this includes collegiality throughout the competition, respectful engagement with peers, ethical presentation of the results, etc.
Cash Prizes
Cash prizes to be awarded:
-
1st Place $500
-
2nd Place $300
-
3rd Place $200
Client Profile:
Blended Investor (Moderate/High Risk)
- Profile: Dentist who understands a passive core foundation but also has a weekly golf match and likes to talk about his hot stocks; checks portfolio daily.
- Priority: Solid foundation (passive core) combined with higher-beta thematic plays.
- Ideal Portfolio: 60% passive large cap/global ETFs that are his hold forever trades, 40% higher beta single stock, both large and small-cap tech, biotech, or trending thematic plays.
NOTES FOR TEAMS: Each member of a team must register with their name, plus the team name, by January 15, 2025.
You must register in teams of three to enter.
