About 1,700 students in stock-picking contest
Star-Bulletin staff
More than 1,700 Hawaii students have hopped onboard the bull-market express.
The Hawaii Stock Market Simulation program began its seventh year on Monday with 683 teams from 42 schools and 1,754 students participating. There are participants from Oahu, Kauai, Maui, the Big Island and Lanai.
Started in Hawaii in 2000 with 183 students, the Stock Market Simulation program has its highest participation in the spring when the teachers have more time to get prepared.
Teams of two to four students to invest a hypothetical $100,000 in stocks, bonds and mutual funds over a 10-week period.
"It's a fun and simple way to learn about economics in a real-world setting," said Kristine Castagnaro, executive director of the Hawaii Council on Economic Education, which administers the program.
The state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Office of the Securities Commissioner funds the program with $25,000 each session. The first- and second-place team members at the end of the 10-week period receive $100 and $50 savings bonds.
The program's rankings at www.hawaiisms.com/ ranking1.php are updated daily.
Students in grades 3 through 12 can participate in four categories. The aggressive division requires that portfolios contain 80 percent stocks and 20 percent bonds. Growth division portfolios must contain 65 percent stocks and 35 percent bonds. Income/growth division portfolios require 50 percent stocks and 50 percent bonds. And the elementary division portfolios do not require that bonds be held.