Investors in the stock market wake up every morning and check their stocks. Some PHS students do the same, “For some people it has become a morning ritual,” said junior Jordan Marcus, who is President of the Stock and Investment club.

Earlier this year Marcus gathered together a group of students to form the stock club and  in less than one year the club has gained 50 members.

Though the stock club holds meeting on campus, most of their work is done online through marketwatch.com, where the students join the PHS stock group, where they can independently invest money into different stocks.

“Stock club is a lot of people looking into the stock market, trying to understand how stocks work,” said junior Daniel Jones, treasurer of the stock club.

Throughout the year, guest speakers who are involved in the world of investing have given presentations to students in the stock club about the market and their experiences. These speakers also give advice on stocks; what makes a good stock, a good portfolio, when to buy, and so on.

Each member is given $50,000 of fake money to invest in stocks on Marketwatch which are correlated to the real stock market, simulating realistic investments.

There are students who join, invest and only occasionally check back in on their investments. Others check their stocks almost everyday.

“Wake up, eat breakfast, check the stocks,” Marcus said.

Junior Cato Leist is one of those students Liest also makes sure to keep up with world news that could affect the stock market; for example Chipotle recently saw multiple outbreaks of the E-coli virus from their products leading to a decline in the company’s stocks.

Because the stocks students are investing in are so realistic, the game itself becomes a sort of training method as to how it all works.

“It’s as if this is your own $50,000 and you’re actually investing it and you’re seeing a difference everyday,” Marcus said.

Students involved in the club do not necessarily need to want to go into the stock market as a career choice, but it does give them the knowledge of how it works.  The goal is to let students know that it is an option, according to Marcus.

“I knew the basics of stocks, but the with unpredictability you learn a lot about the decisions you need to make,” said Leist.

For many it is the intrigue of competition that lures them to the club.  At the end of the school year the student who has made the most from their investments will win a prize which, at the moment, is still to be decided.

With the combined risk factor and the echo of reality the faux stocks have boomed since the beginning of the year, and plans to continue for quite sometime.