Morgan Stanley’s Grant Brady and Tripp Evans Join MME Students in Trading Simulation

Last Thursday, The Tulane Energy Institute and Tulane Executive Speaker Series were pleased to welcome Grant Brady and Tripp Evans from Morgan Stanley to discuss their Commodities group and opportunities within Morgan Stanley.
That evening, the Energy Fundamentals and Trading course taught by professor John Foreman had the opportunity to speak with and ask questions to the two before standing up to do some presentations of their own. The class had been working for some time on a refinery case, involving trading crude oil and refined products. The presentations included analysis and strategies for how the students planned to make their trades.
The next morning, the class, along with Brady and Evans returned to run the simulation in the live futures markets. Acting as either brokers or refiners, the students put their preparation to work. Trading three separate products, both with each other and the NYMEX exchange certainly presented a challenge.
Stress levels ran high as the teams showcased their knowledge and aggressively capitalized on any opportunities the market allowed. As problems arose with one of the broker teams, Grant Brady was able to provide some great insight, pointing out that these issues actually happen in the workplace and that adapting and making changes on the fly are key. The maintenance of long-term client relationships was also emphasized.
The overall experience was summed up well by Foreman’s teaching assistant Caroline Cox, who believes “bringing in professionals really motivates the class and brings the learning to life.”
Richard Fannin
Master of Management in Energy Candidate 2016