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�첥��Ƶ undergraduate finance students are taking part in a professor‑guided initiative that turns classroom theory into real‑world market research – and gives employers tangible proof of their skills.

Throughout his more than 15 years as an investment analyst and strategist, Adjunct Professor Nadeem Kassam, at the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, says he interviewed hundreds of new graduates eager to start their careers in capital markets.

Over time, he noticed a recurring pattern: students often arrived with strong theoretical knowledge, but struggled to present that knowledge in ways that clearly demonstrated their abilities to potential employers.

“They would have all this knowledge, but it wouldn’t be packaged yet in a way that showcased their abilities and skills to a potential employer,” says Kassam.

Earlier this year, Kassam – who teaches advanced portfolio management at York – partnered with York’s Finance Student Association to give a group of undergraduate students the chance to produce an industry grade report modelled on the kind of research produced by investment firms, as part of a new .

Under Kassam’s supervision, the project challenged students to analyze real world market data and synthesize and present their findings clearly and concisely under guidelines similar to those used in the industry. The goal, Kassam says, was to give students hands-on exposure applying classroom theory in ways that mirror real capital-markets work while helping them build tangible evidence of their competencies.

Those interested in participating were required to apply as they would for a job. Kassam reviewed applications from an employer’s perspective and provided individualized feedback – whether students were selected or not – to help them better understand how they might strengthen future applications. By the end of the process, he selected 14 students.

Among them was Abishek Daryanani, a fourth-year Bachelor of Commerce student specializing in finance. “I wanted to step outside of standard textbook coursework and gain practical, hands-on experience in macroeconomic analysis,” says Daryanani.

The same motivation drew Sidonia Sin Ying Wu, also a fourth-year Bachelor of Commerce student. “As someone pursuing a career in finance, I believe it’s not enough to simply know how to analyze data – you also need to know how to present that information clearly and explain the reasoning behind your interpretation to others,” Wu says. “The project’s combination of technical work and commentary writing was what really attracted me to this opportunity.”

Students began by learning to work with industry-standard tools such as the Bloomberg Terminal and Capital IQ, using real-world market data. With the S&P Capital IQ plug-in, they built live Excel dashboards that automatically updated as markets changed – a foundation they would rely on throughout the project.

From there, the focus shifted from working with data to turning analysis into insight that could be clearly communicated to others. Kassam asked students to apply the theories they had learned in class to the information in front of them, using those frameworks to understand what was happening in global markets, and why.

In practical terms, that meant answering questions investors ask every day: Why were stock markets moving the way they were? Why were bonds or commodities behaving differently? Which assets were acting as safe havens during periods of uncertainty, and how could those trends be explained using economic and financial theory?

“That foundational understanding of financial markets, reinforced with real-world application, was the main core,” Kassam says.

Students were then tasked with consolidating their assessment into a single report. Kassam imposed professional style constraints, requiring teams to work within fixed templates, page limits and formatting rules – boundaries designed to force prioritization and clarity.

“That process was much harder than I initially expected,” says Wu. “It wasn’t just about gathering data – it was about deciding what actually mattered and making it easy for readers to interpret.”

That process was exactly what Kassam had hoped students would experience. “That’s essentially the job that I’ve had to do for many years,” he says. “You’re given a lot of information. You have to take it away, figure it out, and then come back with a clear and concise report – often with just one slide and five bullet points.”

Collaboration was also central to the project. While students worked in small groups covering different areas of the markets, they were collectively responsible for contributing to a single, unified report – one Kassam expected to read as though it had been produced by a single analyst.

To achieve that cohesion, he took a hands-on role throughout the process, holding regular meetings where students presented findings, discussed market developments and received feedback to ensure consistency in analysis, tone and presentation.

The work culminated in the group’s inaugural report, released publicly in February. A second edition followed in March, with additional reports planned as part of the eight-month program. Students in future cohorts, he adds, will continue the series.

For students, seeing the work move from interpretation to a finished, public-facing report was a significant payoff. “It felt like all of our effort had turned into something tangible and professional that others could actually read and benefit from,” says Wu.

Daryanani agrees. “Seeing the final product come together and knowing that it mirrors the analytical rigor and formatting you would expect from a real strategy team is incredibly rewarding,” he says. “It’s something you just can’t get from a lecture hall.”

The project is also proving beneficial in other ways. Kassam says some students have used the reports in job applications as concrete examples of their skills.

“If you put this type of product in front of an interviewer, it shows the polish of a very clean, professional quality piece of work,” Kassam says. “It speaks volumes. It says, ‘I have experience. I work well in a team. I’m detail‑oriented – and here’s the proof.’”

Having hired hundreds of graduates over his career, Kassam says that kind of clarity helps remove uncertainty for employers evaluating early‑career candidates. “It’s about removing the guesswork for a potential employer,” he says.

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