[Department of Economics] Received the Nikkei STOCK League Special Award!

The 3rd year economics major Hitomi Takara seminar team won the special prize "Regional Symbiosis Special Award" at the 22nd Nikkei STOCK League. The title of the award-winning report is "Next Generation Technology Helps Shopping Refugees!" The results were announced on Zoom from 16:00 on February 16 (Wednesday), and were announced on the same day after the final screening meeting that had been held until just before. One of the participating members, Aika Dewa, reports on the eight months of efforts from application to submission of the report (this article is posted by the President's Office blog member, Department of Economics I).

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[About the Nikkei Stock League] The Nikkei Stock League was first held in 2000 by Nomura Holdings and Nikkei Inc. Initially, there were 2,604 participants (623 teams) in high school and university combined, but this time the 22nd (2021) participants are 7,046 in junior high school, high school, university, and vocational school (1 , 792 teams). It is widely known as one of the biggest financial education events in Japan, and you can learn about companies while studying economics and stock investment, and cultivate an eye for society.

[Participating members] Kaisuke Egusa (from Tode High School), Aika Dewa (from Fuchu High School), Yuito Uda (from Daimon High School), Saori Oka (from Ashiyo High School), Yuma Mito (from Meioudai High School) )

[Activities after application] As a rough flow, first learn basic knowledge about economics and stock investment with learning materials. Then, think about what kind of society you want Japan to be 10 years from now, and set the investment theme. Once we have decided on a theme, we search for companies that are making efforts to realize the society we envisioned, and screen 10 to 20 companies. We conduct corporate research and empirical analysis, appeal to investors the appeal of our portfolio, and summarize it in a 30-page report.

[Work items and schedule] 1. Basic study (June/July)2. Theme setting (summer vacation)3. Screening (October to December) First, 240 companies involved in next-generation technologies such as drones and autonomous driving were selected from among the listed companies (approximately 3,700 companies). After that, I investigated in detail about 70 companies that are working to solve the problem of shopping refugees. It took a lot of time and effort to finally narrow it down to 17 companies, but the five of us worked together to overcome it.

(↑Seminar time also discussed)

4. After completing the empirical analysis and virtual investment screening (late December) and deciding on the portfolio, the next step is to decide on the investment allocation. This is also where the uniqueness comes in. In the Nikkei STOCK League, it is also possible to make a virtual investment with a virtual currency of 5 million yen.

(↑Investment ratio calculation)

5. Corporate survey (mid-December to early January) Among our portfolio, we interviewed 7 companies (face-to-face, Zoom, email) about initiatives and future prospects such as drone and robot delivery. Furthermore, we made an appointment with Fukuyama City Hall and interviewed about support for elderly people going out and shopping using next-generation technology.

6. Report preparation (Late December to January 11) It is the final finishing from the end of the year to the beginning of the year. We have summarized our efforts over the past 8 months in a 30-page report. I had never written such a large number of reports in a university class, so I was worried, but I was particular about the title and team name, and I held discussions until just before the deadline to make sure I was satisfied with the report.

(↑ I was particular about the design)

[Impressions of team members] Aika Dewa "Our report was able to receive the special award this time because of the team members, Mr. Kora, who gave us guidance, and the willingness to interview us. It would not have been possible without the cooperation of the people at the company and the city hall. Thank you very much.This experience will definitely be a source of food for us and I think it will be useful in our lives from now on."

Tadahito Uda “Past award reports were all about famous universities that everyone knows about, and I never thought that our team would win. It gave me a lot of confidence that I can do it."

Miaki Egusa “We set our own themes, brought our opinions together, and had discussions over and over again.

Saori Oka “I learned how important it is to persevere until the end, no matter how hard it is. I also realized that even if it is difficult for me to do it alone, I can achieve it by cooperating with my colleagues.”

Arima Mito "I was very nervous about the company research, but I was able to hear the real voices of the workplace, which I could not understand from the published materials, and learned the manners necessary in society."

A word from the president: As a non-expert, I didn't know about the Nikkei STOCK League, a contest with a history of over 20 years. However, through this blog, I learned how difficult it is to participate in it and prepare a report. If you check the website, you can see that the past winners are all prominent members. Congrats to the 5 people who got into the corner and won the "Regional Symbiosis Special Award"! "No matter how much I praise you, it's not enough." In addition to winning the award, I believe that the efforts you have made to acquire genuine knowledge of economics and to make your own claims will be an irreplaceable asset. I guess.