Savannah Sima
Contributing Writer
The Jenny Investment Club (JIC) was recently named among the top 25 largest student-man- aged investment funds by The Center for Investment Research, a national non-profit. The group surveyed over 300 student-managed investment funds to show how large the investment funds can be. JIC is currently ranked 18th alongside clubs from colleges and universities like the University of Virginia, Notre Dame and Northwestern University. The University of Minnesota had the largest fund with $35.9 mil- lion. JIC was listed at $5.5 mil- lion but currently has a total as- set management of $6.3 million, which President Yuxuan Ke ’20 detailed.
“The criteria of placing is total asset under management, and JIC is currently at $6.3 million, which is never easy to achieve,” Ke said. “We are very lucky to have a very diversified pool of students, advi- sors and community members to actively manage the portfolio together. Everyone brings in their distinctive opinions and skill sets, and I believe JIC will keep benefiting from this.”
This ranking is particularly prestigious, and something that Ke intends to maintain. “JIC is one of a kind among all the student-run investment clubs out there,” she said. “Therefore, being ranked top 25 is definitely a recognition of what we have been doing for almost 65 years, and it is also feels like a responsibility and great motivation to carry this honor further.”
Faculty advisor and professor of economics Amyaz Moledina also commented on the effort members put in, stating, “It is the responsibility of the [JIC] trustees and officers to maintain our prestige. The students take this responsibility very seriously. They have and continue to do a great job!”
The dedication that officers exude and the nature of how JIC operates is exactly what Mole- dina attributes JIC’s success to. “The officers are very helpful,” he said. “It’s through this peer learning model that JIC has done so well in the past.”
Moledina also detailed his own involvement with the club. “I at- tend the meeting every week,” he informed. “Typically, every week the trustees/members of the club will make a presentation. The presentation could be to buy a new stock, sell or trim a stock we have in our portfolio. It is my responsibility to do my own independent homework on the company the students will present on. I also have to make sure that students are following the investment policy of the club and I work with the officers on ways to make the club better.”
JIC is open for any student to engage in, something both Ke and Moledina emphasized. “We have regular meetings every Wednes- day at 6:00 p.m. in the Tartan Room in Lowry [where] students present stock pitches in pairs; sometimes we bring in alumni or external speakers, who are usu- ally financial industry professionals,” Ke explained. “The meetings are open to any student regardless of your major, class year or other personal identities. Be curious and ready to learn, that’s it!”
JIC promotes education and engagement of its members in tandem with this open nature of the club.
“At the start of every school year, we have general education meetings on the basics of investments and stock pitches,” Ke said. “For presentations, new members pair up and work with experienced trustees, who are more senior members of the club. Student officers and faculty advisors are also great resources for help. Students who complete at least one presentation and show up to at least 50 percent of the regular meetings every semester become trustees and get the right to vote on investment decisions.”
Additionally, JIC has an exten- sive history compared to other in- stitutions on the list.
“The cool thing is we are the oldest investment club on the top 25 list and we are also the only liberal arts college without a for- mal business school,” Ke stated. “JIC was started and named after Hans H. Jenny, who was from Switzerland and was an econom- ics professor at the time he initiated the club. It was a very risky, but evolutionary, action at that time to entrust students with real money to invest. The fund was also established as a non-selective organization in the first place for members of the College commu- nity to learn about investments and to provide scholarship funds for international students.”