It was a battle of wits and stock ideas at the NUS-SGX Stock Pitch Competition 2023, with a team from National University of Singapore (NUS) emerging victorious among 68 competing teams from nine pre-tertiary and tertiary institutions.

Marking its ninth edition this year, the NUS-SGX Stock Pitch Competition is an initiative that brings together the academic and corporate domains of equity research and investment management with the goal of inspiring the young generation to start investing early. It is a platform that provides students with a chance to showcase their research abilities and compete against each other by presenting their stock pitches to a panel of judges.

Chan Kum Kong, Managing Director, Head of Research and FinLit, Singapore Exchange (SGX Group), said, “We are thrilled to see so many students with equity research knowledge and passion in investing. Our annual partnership with NUS aims to encourage the new generation to consider finance and investment research as a career, as well as to think about investing early to harness the power of compound interest. The most important investment one can make is in ourself – financial literacy and learning how to build a well-diversified portfolio will help ensure financial wellness for the future. We look forward to continue supporting young aspiring investors through our financial educational programmes at SGX Academy.”

This year’s competition featured a mix of local and international schools, namely International Islamic University Malaysia, Nanyang Technological University, NUS, Raffles Institution, Singapore Management University, Singapore University of Social Sciences, Universitas Negri Semarang, Universitas Prasetiya Mulya and University of Oxford.

Participating teams were required to submit a research report with a recommendation on a single stock. Six teams were subsequently shortlisted as finalists and were required to prepare their final presentation within a short time frame, simulating the fast-paced, high-intensity real-world scenario in which finance professionals such as investment analysts and asset managers operate.

These finalists went head-to-head at the Hong Sui Sen Auditorium in NUS for a day of exciting demonstrations on their research and investment theses. The winners were judged on the depth and rigour of their analysis, presentation skills and responses at a question-and-answer session.

The panel of judges comprised of academics, equities research and financial experts including Mr. David Mok, Head of Fund Management at IPP Financial Advisers; Mr. Paul Yong, Head of Singapore Equity Research at DBS; Mr. Pratik Burman Ray, Senior Director & Head of Equities (Southeast Asia), HSBC Private Bank; and Professor Lee Hon Sing, Senior Lecturer and Deputy Head of Finance Department at NUS Business School.

Details of the winners and runners-up are as follow: