April 21, 2008
Albuquerque Journal
NMSU Ticker Displays Stocks
By Justin Bannister, NMSU News ServiceLAS CRUCES— NMSU business students can now check the financial markets while walking the halls between classes. The NMSU College of Business recently installed a large financial ticker and two large television monitors outside the G. Carl and Andrea Everett Financial Markets Trading Room.
The ticker is nearly 30 feet long with two separate levels. The upper display provides current stock prices while the lower level provides financial news. The two television screens display stock prices and charts, financial news and even the weather.
"This certainly raises the visibility of our college," said business dean Garrey Carruthers. He noted that students have been very interested in the ticker, often stopping to see how the financial world is doing for the day.
"This brings the business world front and center to the students," said Ken Martin, a finance professor at NMSU. "When you walk in the door, you immediately see what's happening in the business world."
The G. Carl and Andrea Everett Financial Markets Trading Room is home to the Finance 435 and 535 classes, where students study the market while using financial tools to determine a stock's true value.
With the knowledge they gain, the students are then able to trade actual stocks. They currently manage $5 million in investment funds from the State Investment Council and $80,000 in the Wetherbe Fund, donated by Business College alumnus James C. Wetherbe.
"It's more than just throwing darts at the stock pages," Martin said. "We teach the fundamentals of stock valuation."
The television monitors outside the classroom highlight stocks traded by students. The monitors were donated by Merrill Lynch financial services company.
The ticker was a gift from Carl Everett, a 1973 graduate of NMSU.
Everett is a former senior vice president for both Intel Corp. and Dell Computers.