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Latest News: “A Surge of Energy”: Revamped Financial Lab Immerses Students in Financial Data and Market Conditions

“A Wave of Energy”: Revamped Finance Lab Immerses Students in Financial Data and Market Conditions
The updated space, which displays real-time market data and allows students to access financial software, enhances experiential learning opportunities and develops in-demand skills for students interested in finance.
Per:
Meghan Kita
Tuesday, February 6, 2024, 10:25 am
Students take classes in the newly renovated Financial Laboratory. Photos by Kristi Morris
Visit the first floor of the Ettinger Building and you can see the newly renovated Financial Laboratory, which now features financial tickers and integrated computers running the StockTrak financial trading program and the Morningstar Direct investment analysis platform. The updated space reflects an investment by the College that will allow students to engage more deeply with the industry, says Associate Professor of Economy and President of Department of Accounting, Business, Economics and Finance Lindsey Nagy.
“Students strengthen their analytical and decision-making skills in a relatively risk-free environment as they build and maintain fictitious portfolios. Providing them with access to current and historical data on financial, industrial and macroeconomic conditions allows them to analyze trends, make predictive forecasts and understand how multiple situational factors can affect markets, which informs their investment decisions and strategies,” says Nagy . “Ultimately, these experiences increase the amount of human capital a student possesses, which should improve their placement in the job market.”
“Students and teachers are excited about the new space. The space and the tools and financial resources within it brought a surge of energy to the program.”
Muhlenberg gained campus-wide access to StockTrak last fall, and it is being used in several classes, Nagy says. Morningstar Direct access began this semester, and Nagy predicts its use will expand further at the start of the next school year. O Financial Program is working to establish specific learning goals for Finance Lab resources that will allow finance students to work their way from introductory skills to mastery as they progress through the specialization.
“Faculty are eager to experiment with how best to integrate tools and data into lectures and assignments. Students are eager to begin projects that require extracting financial data and reviewing Morningstar analyst reports,” says Nagy, noting that accounting and the economics faculty is also using the software. “Students and teachers are excited about the new space. The space and the tools and financial resources within it brought a surge of energy to the program.”