More than 1,000 students to participate in stock-picking contest

Last year, McGill University finance student Charles Feng’s big investment idea was buying stock in Tesla Motors Inc.

This year, he is searching for better investments, as the stakes are far higher, and a strategy that worked in the past may not pay dividends going forward: Tesla shares were down 11 per cent in 2016.

Mr. Feng, a 20-year-old from Montreal, is among over 1,000 Canadian university and college students already entered in the first Capitalize For Kids Student Challenge, a national investment contest that kicks off at noon on Jan. 16 and runs through to Aug. 16. The deadline for entering is Jan. 15.

The contest, which organizers abbreviate as C4K, is both a fundraiser and an opportunity for aspiring portfolio managers to polish their skills before an audience of potential employers. After the contest finishes, the OMERS pension fund, Royal Bank of Canada and Bank of Nova Scotia will provide career mentors to top performers. The top 30 stock pickers get their résumé screened by a leading domestic financial institution.

Read full article: The Globe and Mail, January 2, 2017