Foreign Trade University Ho Chi Minh City wins CFA Institute Research Challenge Vietnam Final

The team will represent Vietnam at the Asia-Pacific final in Manila, Philippines on March 11-12, 2015.

“The students from Foreign Trade University Ho Chi Minh City have demonstrated that they have what it takes to become professional research analysts. The finance industry is a challenging environment, and we need young people like them who possess the skills and knowledge as well as persistence, commitment, and ethical responsibility,” said Nguyen Hoai Phuong, CFA, representing CFA Institute members in Vietnam who organised the competition.

“We wish them all the best in the regional final in Manila,” Phuong added.

Competing in the shortlist round were 75 students from 15 university teams, but only four advanced to final.

The four finalist teams came from Foreign Trade University Hanoi campus, National Economic University, International University, and Foreign Trade University Ho Chi Minh City campus.

Their challenge was to provide investment research recommendations for the stock of Mobile World Group (share code MWG in HOSE) and present it to a panel of judges comprised of investment experts.

“We witnessed remarkable professional judgment and a high level of enthusiasm from the finalist teams. This bodes well for the future of the finance industry in Vietnam and the rest of Asia Pacific,” says Sunil Singhania, CFA, chief investment officer of Asia Pacific at Reliance Mutual Fund in India and member of the Board of Governors of the CFA Institute.

“CFA Institute believes in the benefits of working with the academic community through the Research Challenge to help prepare the best and brightest students in each country for the rigor and responsibility of the finance profession,” he emphasised.

The CFA Institute Research Challenge, now on its ninth year, provides university students with hands-on mentoring and intensive training in financial analysis.

Students work in teams to research and analyse a publicly traded company.

Each team writes a research report on their assigned company with a buy, sell, or hold recommendation and shall defend their analysis in front of a panel of industry professionals.

In 2013-2014, more than 3,700 students from 825 universities in 58 countries worldwide participated in the competition. The 2015 global final will be held in April in Atlanta, Georgia, the US.

Meanwhile, a ceremony for new CFA charterholders was held following the Research Challenge final with the witnesses from Nguyen Thanh Long, vice chairman of the State Securities Commission as guests of honour.

Thirty six individuals were awarded the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation in a ceremony in Hanoi. To earn the CFA designation, candidates must pass three levels of rigorous exams, fulfill four years of work experience, and abide by the CFA Institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct.

There are about 21,000 CFA charterholders in Asia Pacific, more than 100 of them in Vietnam.

CFA Institute is the global association of investment professionals that sets the standard for professional excellence and credentials. The organisation is a champion for ethical behavior in investment markets and a respected source of knowledge in the global financial community.