17-year-old male student wins ticket to US to take stock trading exam

Thai Toan won a spot to participate in a virtual stock trading competition in the US after increasing his virtual "assets" from $1 million to $7.5 million in one month.

Do Thai Toan, an 11th-grade student from Olympia Inter-level High School in Hanoi , completed the virtual trading round of the Virtual Trading Competition on February 29th.

This is a virtual stock trading competition for 10th-11th grade students, organized by Stevens School of Business, part of Stevens Institute of Technology in the United States. This school is currently ranked second in New Jersey and is among the top 77 business schools in the US, according to US News and World Report.

As a result, Toan ranked 6th out of 800 contestants from around the world . Thanks to this achievement, the student was among the 25 contestants selected to travel to the United States to participate in the in-person trading round of the competition.

Do Thai Toan, 11th grade student at Olympia Inter-level High School, Hanoi. Photo: Thanh Hang — Do Thai Toan, 11th grade student at Olympia Inter-level High School, Hanoi. Photo: *Thanh Hang*

The student, born in 2007, said he had known about the concept of stocks for a few years, but only through reading news articles, without delving deeper. Because he loves finance and economics, Toàn often reads news related to the FED (Federal Reserve), following political and social changes around the world and their impact on the market.

In December 2023, Toan learned about the Virtual Trading Competition through a friend. Although he really liked it and knew that international competitions were beneficial for his study abroad application, Toan still hesitated for two weeks because he was worried it would affect his studies. Finally, he registered to participate just a few days before the deadline.

In the application round, candidates must demonstrate their English proficiency and showcase their knowledge of finance and economics by finding ways to handle scenarios presented by the organizers.

Subsequently, over 800 contestants were selected for the virtual trading round, which took place from February 1st to 29th. Toan stated that the rules were "very simple": With a given amount of $1 million in virtual money, contestants needed to find a way to maximize profits from this money through stock transactions. They would operate on a virtual system, but all data and fluctuations of stock codes were taken from the real market.

To make decisions, Toan relies on the Relative Strength Index (RSI), Exponential Moving Average (EMA), and the trading volume of the stock. In addition, the student combines reading newspapers and keeping up with news to predict market fluctuations.

The US stock market is open from 10 PM to 7 AM the following morning, Vietnam time. Therefore, Toan had to adjust his personal schedule. He prioritized his studies, temporarily putting aside his basketball schedule to focus on the competition. Every evening, Toan would research the market and trade until 2 AM, focusing on volatile stocks. The rest of the time, the student placed orders on more stable stocks.

"While I'm sleeping, the market can fluctuate so quickly that I can't react in time, so I'll dedicate the hours between 2 and 7 AM to investing in good, stable stocks to reduce the risk of losing money," Toan explained.

In the first week, Toan made a profit of $300,000 in cryptocurrency, but later lost $2 million. The student assessed a stock with "very good" indicators, shorted it, and expected the price to fall below $10. However, due to buybacks, the stock continuously increased, at one point reaching $31.5, causing Toan to lose $800,000.

"The lesson I learned is that beauty index alone isn't everything; many other factors must also be considered," the male student shared.

However, at the end of this round, Toan's account balance was $7.5 million, which is 7.5 times the initial capital he was given.

Toan during a basketball game, late 2023. Photo: Provided by the subject. — Toan during a basketball game, late 2023. Photo: *Provided by the subject.*

During the competition, Toan applied a lot of knowledge from his AP Economics and Law and Macroeconomics courses at school. These subjects helped the male student better understand economies, monetary policies, how markets work, and principles of investment, saving, and financial management.

I also learned many new skills, such as how to search, organize, and filter information.

"This is especially useful when applied to the learning process, helping me save time while still having all the information I need," Toan said.

Ms. Ngo Minh Trang, Toan's economics teacher at school, said that the student has good analytical skills and often studies the subject independently using materials outside of the textbook. He also doesn't hesitate to ask the teacher about anything he's unsure of. As a result, the male student progresses quickly and has sharp, insightful assessments of market situations.

"The competition had high knowledge requirements for an 11th-grade student, but Toan did well. Not only I, but many teachers were surprised by his understanding and critical thinking skills," Ms. Trang shared.

Toan and Ms. Minh Trang at school. Photo: Thanh Hang — Toan and Ms. Minh Trang at school. Photo: *Thanh Hang*

According to the plan, 25 contestants will travel to the Stevens School of Business in New Jersey in mid-April, covering their own travel expenses. During their month-long stay, the school will cover all expenses, allowing them to attend classes on professional financial information systems and emerging trends in the financial industry. In addition, contestants will have the opportunity to use the renowned financial data provider and analyst – Bloomberg Terminal. Finally, there will be a live stock trading round.

Toan said he was satisfied with his 6th place finish and was considering going to the US. The student said that April and May are peak months for him to prepare for the SAT standardized test and his study abroad application. He also wants to maintain his academic performance in class.

"Whatever the decision, I've had a memorable experience that has strengthened my intention to pursue a degree in Finance at the university level," Toan said.

Thanh Hang

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