finance – Vanderbilt Business Review

Mar

02

2025

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By Mark Ciampa

Using Vanderbilt’s Student Health Insurance Plan to Unpack the Business of Health Insurance

All Posts, Analysis, Industriesbusiness, ciampa, finance

peterspiro via iStockPhoto Introduction Vanderbilt University requires its students to maintain health insurance coverage throughout their education. Students can enroll in Vanderbilt’s Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) if they do not have personal health insurance or if they prefer the SHIP to their current insurance. The healthcare industry is notoriously complicated, containing a web of insurers, providers, hospital networks, drug manufacturers, and pharmacies to administer all aspects of patient care. Using Vanderbilt’s SHIP as an example, this article will guide students through the structure of health insurance and the entities influencing it. Fees and Benefits To maintain health insurance,…

Feb

05

2025

By Aaron Cooper

AI and the Future of Finance

All Posts, Analysis, Finance and Business Insightai, cooper, finance, technology

icoElNino via iStockPhoto In a world where technological innovation continues to reshape industries, the finance sector stands at the brink of transformation thanks to artificial intelligence. For decades, finance revolved around suits, spreadsheets, and hours spent poring over numbers; however, the game has changed. AI has entered the chat, introducing machine learning algorithms capable of making better-informed decisions faster and more efficiently than their human counterparts. Moreover, from portfolio management to research and automation, AI is revolutionizing the tools and techniques financial professionals rely on, enhancing their ability to manage complexity, mitigate risk, and create value. AI has already proven…

Feb

02

2025

By Anna Song

The Rise of the Coffee Futures Price: What Happened?

All Posts, Analysis, Industriescoffee, economy, finance, global, song

Photo taken by Anna Song In the past month, the coffee C Price has experienced a dramatic increase from over $2/lb to over $3/lb. The current C price of over $3/lb has reached a historical high over the past 13 years. What is the C Price and what happened with this dramatic increase? The C Price and Its History Coffee is a global commodity and is the most traded good in the world. Brazil has been one of the largest producing countries of coffee and Vietnam’s exports have also been rising since the late 20th century. Some other main producing…

Feb

02

2025

By Ryan Oh

Vanderbilt’s Rising Endowment: What it Means for the Institution

All Posts, Featurescollege, finance, oh, students, vanderbilt

SeanPavonePhoto via iStockPhoto What is an Endowment? A college endowment is a collection of assets that can be used to support the institution’s research, faculty salaries, financial aid, operations, and long-term goals. Endowments usually take the form of an investment fund managed by several investment analysts. The bulk of the funds are built through donations from alumni, philanthropists, and other supporters. Typically, only a small portion of the endowment, typically 4-5%, is spent each year to support institutional goals with the rest reinvested to ensure the long-term success and sustainability of the endowment fund. A key sign that an institution…

Jan

21

2025

By Owen Liu

Story Behind a Stock: MicroStrategy (MSTR) — Business Intelligence Meets Bitcoin

All Posts, Features, Industriesbitcoin, business, finance, investing, liu

Vladimir Kazakov via iStockPhoto Introduction MicroStrategy (NASDAQ: MSTR) is often associated with Bitcoin and is called by some as the next Gamestop for its rise in stock price of approximately 359% this year. However, what exactly does this company do, and why has its stock price soared? This article is part of a series exploring companies whose stocks attract significant market attention, focusing on what they do and the unique strategies that have captured market attention. The goal is not to make investment recommendations but to deliver insights into industries and market trends for Vanderbilt students. MicroStrategy’s Origins and Core…

Jan

20

2025

By Nathan Park

The Rise of the New Kings of Wall Street: How Quant Firms Are Redefining the Financial Landscape and Their Impact on College Students

All Posts, Analysis, Finance and Business Insightbusiness, finance, jobs, park, student jobs

AndreyKrav via iStockPhoto For decades, the financial world was dominated by traditional investment banks like Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and JP Morgan. These institutions were synonymous with Wall Street success, wielding immense power and influence over the financial markets. However, a significant shift has taken place over the past decade, and a new breed of trading firms—Susquehanna International Group, Jane Street, and Citadel Securities—have quietly usurped the old guard. These firms, known as “quantitative trading firms” or simply “quant firms,” have transformed Wall Street by leveraging cutting-edge technology and data-driven strategies. They dominate the market through high-frequency trading (HFT)—a method…

Dec

16

2024

By Ben Nelson

Investing at Vanderbilt

All Posts, Analysis, Finance and Business Insightbusiness, finance, investing, Nelson, vanderbilt

tadamichi via iStockPhoto The stock market is a staple of American life. Movies like The Big Short or the Wolf of Wall Street have become elements of pop culture, and the Wall Street Journal currently has over 4 million subscribers. This global phenomenon is currently present in many different facets of our lives. In fact, there is an entire sector of jobs that are based on reading and predicting the stock market for other people. All of this is to say that the stock market has become a global phenomenon over the years. Better yet, it provides everyday people like…

Oct

10

2024

By Tapan Sidhwani

Crypto at Vanderbilt: The Rise of VandyBlockchain

All Posts, Featuresblockchain, crypto, finance, organization, Sidhwani

Image provided by Abhay Khanna for use in this article Whether it’s through Bitcoin’s raging bull markets or through various memecoins like Dogecoin or Shiba Inu, cryptocurrencies have frequently made their way into the headlines over the last ten years. A key factor in catalyzing this “crypto gold rush” is blockchain technology: a decentralized public ledger used for transparent information sharing and transaction recording. In simpler terms, a big magic notebook everyone can write in and see, but nobody can edit. VandyBlockchain Origins The rise of blockchain technology has expanded its impact far beyond just the financial world, reaching academic…

Oct

02

2024

By Nathan Park

A Guide to Investment Banking at Vanderbilt University

All Posts, Featuresbanking, finance, internship, park, recruitment

Photo credit to Patrick Weissenberger on Unsplash The Fast-Paced World of Investment Banking Recruitment at Vanderbilt At Vanderbilt University, the pursuit of a career in investment banking (IB) begins long before graduation. For many ambitious students, the journey starts as early as freshman year, with the recruiting process often kicking off over a year in advance for coveted summer internships. The timeline for investment banking recruitment is notably accelerated. Undergraduates typically find themselves in the thick of recruiting for junior year summer internships during the spring of their sophomore year. This early start can catch many off guard, emphasizing the…