Francis Kim teaches a MayX course called “Stock Option Trading and Risk Management” in the Finance and Business Analytics Lab (Hipp 102) on Wednesday, May 21, 2025. In the class, students paper trade stocks and options after engaging in rigorous analysis of their chosen companies.
Big gains, tough losses and the roller coaster of emotions that come with investing and trading in the stock market are at the heart of a new MayX course that takes a 15-day deep dive into the basics of stocks, bonds, options and understanding Wall Street.
Francis Kim, an associate professor of finance, wanted to create a space where any Furman student could explore how markets respond to real-world events. It became especially pertinent to him as tariffs and an unusually volatile stock market dominated the financial news in the past few months.
Students paper trade stocks and options after engaging in rigorous analysis of their chosen companies in the “Stock Option Trading and Risk Management” MayX.
“I always wanted a hands-on class where I could talk freely about markets, economy, policy and really everything that might affect the market,” Kim said. A MayX course gave him the perfect opportunity to launch “Stock Option Trading and Risk Management.” He limited the class to 15 students and grouped them in five teams of three. Each team received $1 million is simulated money, and, to make it a little more real, he purchased five virtual trading accounts on StockTrak.com.
The challenge? Trade stocks, bonds, options, cryptocurrencies and currencies in real time. The goal? Learn how the market works and understand just how hard it is to make investment decisions.
There are no exams, just the success or failure of a teams’ portfolio performance and class engagement to learn from mistakes and correct them using the ebbs and flows of the real market. Kim said while the money might be simulated, the rush of adrenaline his 15 students feel is real.
“The fluctuations are quite intense,” said Allen Zhang ’27. “The first thing I do in the morning is check the stock performances. I have experienced joy and excitement when things go well, and also plenty of stress when the market suffers. It’s not real money, but my group is dedicated to making the most profit in the class, which we did in the end.”
Though most of the teams experienced that same range of emotion, including being down around $10,000 at certain points, Kim said it’s important to learn about those fluctuations first so that success can come. This class is a great way to encourage, engage and, most importantly, build from experience. Encouraged by the course’s popularity, Kim hopes to expand enrollment next year and may even co-teach with a behavioral scientist. He also has ideas of expanding the lessons to Furman faculty and staff.
“I really want people to understand the real-world policies and economic events that are affecting stock prices every day,” Kim said.
