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Stock Market Game Week in Review

The Stock Market Game Program

While the majority of this week's headlines focused on the G-20 summit in London, an increase in unemployment has again taken center stage. The joblessness rate spiked to a 25 year high at 8.5% with 663,000 jobs lost in March. The news pushed stocks lower this morning challenging a strong rally earlier in the week that pushed the S&P 500 index up 23% after hitting 12-year lows on March 9.

Besides being the month most people associate with the tax man, April is National Financial Literacy Month. To celebrate this important springtime event, the SIFMA Foundation for Investor Education and The Stock Market Game (SMG) are offering two exclusive webinars for teachers and SMG participants. These webinars will be presented in conjunction with the release of two new projects: "Volatility: Ups and Downs" and "What Goes Around." The latter addresses business cycles.

The webinars will be conducted by long time SMG supporter, Richard Anderson. Richard is a Certified Financial Planner, president and CEO of management consulting firm Anderson Group and Anderson Financial Services. Richard has presented to teachers in the New York City SMG program on numerous occasions. In addition, he has made guest appearances on CNN's "Money Line," CNBC and "Good Morning America." We are fortunate to have him on these webinars.

On Tuesday, April 7, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. EDT, we will host "Volatility: Teaching About the Ups and Downs with SMG." The webinar will focus on the questions: what do financial news reporters mean when they say the markets are volatile?; why is it important to understand volatility?; and how does The Stock Market Game help you teach about it? You can register for the webinar here.

On Tuesday, April 21, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. EDT, we will host "What Goes Around: Teaching Business Cycles with SMG." Richard Anderson will address what it means when financial analysts and reporters say "the economy is cyclic." He will also discuss how to prepare ourselves for an economic downturn as well as what we should teach our students about the business cycle. You can register here.

Space is limited on both webinars, so register early!

If you have any questions regarding these webinars, please contact Curriculum Director Vincent Young at vyoung@sifma.org or (212) 313-1296.

You may also be interested in the new issue of In the News, which is available via the Publications link in the "In the Classroom" section of the Teacher Support Center. "The Ups Win" explains the business cycle by highlighting the performance of the economy and stock market over time and by examining the current downturn. Like the issue before it, "Voices of Fear and Confidence," which explained the impact of investor confidence on the stock market, "The Ups Win" provides a helpful introduction to the projects and webinars the SIFMA Foundation and the SMG have prepared in celebration of this year's Financial Literacy month.

Have a great weekend and good luck to all of the students who submitted InvestWrite essays.

Learn more about the Stock Market Game here.