Overview

The EDS Financial Trading and Technology Center is a state-of-the-art trading, research, and teaching facility in the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin.  Its mission is three-fold. First, to assist students, faculty, executives and the community to better understand the growing flow of financial data and to manage the impact of that flow on financial markets.  Second, to enable center users to participate in the development of new applications of information technology to finance. Finally, to provide technology resources and technical support for the AIM Investment Center, the Center for Energy Finance, Education, and Research, The Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst Center for Private Equity Finance, and the Center for Real Estate Finance.  Success in our mission depends on providing state-of-the-art facilities, access to current financial data, and accessibility and support for those who use the Center. 

Center Activities

Trading

A portion of the Center is home to the MBA Investment Fund.  Graduate students manage three multimillion-dollar funds from the Center’s trading and boardrooms.  These facilities emulate a professional money managers work environment.  Student managers rely on the same data feeds, software and video conferencing capabilities as their Wall Street counterparts.  More information on the fund can be found at http://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/AIMCenter/AppInvMan/index.asp .           

Teaching and Research

Academic activities supported by the Center included classroom instruction, videoconferences, special presentation/events, data-feed workshops and simulation trading games.  A focal point for finance programs at both the MBA and undergraduate level, the Center also serves as a laboratory for the creation of innovative teaching techniques applied to all levels of education.

Cutting-edge audio-visual and distance learning systems are integrated into the three-room, 3,000 square-foot complex. Through its technologically sophisticated classroom, faculty can adapt their pedagogy to the latest educational tools including an interactive touch screen blackboard (SMART Board) and a high-resolution video projector. With its video teleconferencing capability the Center is an active participant in distant learning programs.   Faculty and students have access to real-time data feeds from leading providers of financial information: Bloomberg, Bridge and Reuters. These data flows can be used by undergraduate and graduate students in a wide variety of classes ranging from finance classes on portfolio management to information impact management courses on the financial applications of information technology. The Center also supports teaching and research in areas such as advanced financial modeling and financial risk management. In addition community outreach programs continue to be an important part of the Center’s focus.  

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