A sixth-grade student in Austin, Texas, turned an imaginary $5, 000 portfolio of Israeli stocks into one valued at $6, 748, a 35% increase.
The student, Eddie V., is the winner of the inaugural Richtol Exchange Israel Stock Picking Challenge for Students, which ran for nine weeks from February 29 to April 29, 2016.
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The ongoing competition is open to middle school and high school students across North America. Students are invited to test their skills at selecting a portfolio of five promising Israeli companies from those currently listed (or jointly listed)on NASDAQ.
Eddie’s winning portfolio consisted of: Kitov Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: KTOV) +97.16%; NeuroDerm (NASDAQ: NDRM) +39.56%; Israel Chemicals (NYSE: ICL) +26.87%; InspireMD (NYSE: NSPR) +19.51%; and SodaStream International (NASDAQ: SODA) -8.35%.
The Richtol Exchange Israel Stock Picking Challenge is designed to expose students to the workings of the stock market, while promoting Israeli entrepreneurship and innovation.
New challenges take place every three months, with Challenge #2 set to begin when the market opens on Tuesday, July 5, 2016.
“We are delighted with the enthusiasm our students showed for the challenge, and with the diligence they displayed in selecting their portfolios, ” said Maxwell Rotbart, a Jewish day school teacher and educational entrepreneur who developed the stock picking challenge. “Every participant was a winner because every student came away with a better understanding of why Israel is a global leader in business and innovation.”
Student portfolios included Israeli companies representing a cross-section of industries, including technology, agribusiness, energy, conservation, defense, healthcare, and telecommunications.
As Challenge #1 winner, Eddie V. and his teacher, Chris Aguero, will receive a certificate recognizing Eddie’s accomplishment, as will the nine other students whose portfolios showed the largest gains.
The nine runners up were (in order of finish): Lexie A. (Grade 8/Denver +31.3%); Liora S. (Grade 6/Austin +26.7%); Samuel K. (Grade 7/Denver +20.8%); Rafael Z. (Grade 6/Austin +15.8%); Liri S. (Grade 6/Austin +14.3%); Clay C. (Grade 6/Louisville, KY +12.8%); Moshe K. (Grade 6/Denver +12.7%); Noah H. (Grade 7/Denver +12.4%) and Ally S. (Grade 6/Austin +11.5%).
Registration for Challenge #2 is now open. Participation in the competition is fun, free, and educational. It is open to students, teachers, and parents – all of whom are encouraged to participate.
The Richtol Exchange is named in memory of Donald Manuel Richtol z’l, and in honor of his wife, Barbara. Richex.org is part of the EdJewCorp family of innovative Jewish learning tools and resources.
