A total of 17 student teams from 13 high schools across southern Alberta have been spending the past four weeks weighing whether they should buy gold, treasury bills or stocks in fictitious companies as they try to build their portfolios in the lead-up to the third annual Dhillon School of Business High School Finance Competition.

The competition helps students learn about investing, the fundamentals of the stock market, risk, teamwork and communication.

Whether they’ve profited or lost money, the teams will present their results in the Investment Challenge to a panel of judges on Friday, May 18. Students will also participate in a simulated trading challenge in the Centre for Financial Market Research and Teaching (CFMRT), the best equipped academic trading centre in Western Canada. The competition wraps up at 1:30 p.m. with lunch and awards that include cash prizes and trophies.

The trading challenge finals are scheduled for 12:30 p.m., followed by lunch and presentation of awards.