April 2025 Newsletter
Hanlon FSC Newsletter April 2025
As the semester begins to come to a close, we are eager to share the latest events and highlights from the Hanlon Lab! Thank you for your continued support—we wish everyone luck during finals!
Stevens Trading Day 2025
On Friday, May 2nd, Stevens hosted its 3rd Annual Trading Day, which welcomed the top 25 high school students from a global virtual investing competition to campus.
After a month of building simulated $1 million portfolios on the Dow Jones MarketWatch platform, these standout sophomores and juniors competed in a live trading simulation at the Hanlon Financial Systems Center. The day also included a “Bloomberg 101” workshop, campus tour, and talks from the Stevens finance faculty.
With over 1,200 students participating worldwide, Trading Day continues to showcase Stevens’ commitment to hands-on finance education and outreach to the next generation of investors.
SHIFT HFT Competition
The SHIFT High-Frequency Trading Competition, hosted by the Hanlon Lab’s SHIFT team, concluded this past week following over a month of rigorous algorithmic trading. Designed to replicate the complexities of real-world markets, the competition featured weekly-changing simulations that challenged teams to adapt and optimize their strategies.
The first two weeks mirrored trading activity from randomly selected historical market days. In week three, teams tested their algorithms against a zero-intelligence model, and the competition wrapped up with an advanced simulation involving a reinforcement learning-based market environment.
We congratulate this year’s winners for their outstanding dedication and innovation. The award ceremony will take place on May 7, where the top three teams will receive cash prizes in recognition of their achievements.
Alumni Talks - Zhe Zhao
This past month, Zhe Zhao, a Financial Engineering graduate and Hanlon Lab alum, returned to campus to share insights from his journey as a Quantitative Developer and Trader at Millennium. In his interview, Zhe reflected on how his time at Stevens shaped his career and prepared him for the world of quantitative finance.
We extend our sincere thanks to Zhe for speaking with us and inspiring our current students!
Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more interviews and original content — follow us here!
Stevens Financial Clubs
Are you part of one of Stevens’ many finance or computer science-related clubs?
If so, consider hosting your meetings right here in Hanlon I or Hanlon II! Take advantage of the cutting-edge resources available in our labs and bring your club activities into the heart of Stevens' financial ecosystem.
To reserve a space, email fscadmin@stevens.edu and schedule your meetings today!
Celebrating our Graduates: Class of 2025
We would like to congratulate our outstanding Hanlon Lab Graduate Assistants — Harsh Patel, Yash Deshpande, Mohammad Sharique, and Akshat Sahu — as well as all graduating students of 2025 who are preparing to take their next steps. Wishing you continued success as you move forward—your future is bright!
Get Featured in Our Upcoming Newsletter
For submission of news or event information to be featured in our upcoming newsletter, please reach out to us at fscadmin@stevens.edu
Hanlon Financial Systems Center | Stevens Institute of Technology
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