The Whitworth Student Investment Group (WSIG) has had new developments while managing the Robblee-Roberts Student Investment Fund as part of Whitworth University’s endowment. The mission of the club is to increase members’ learning by analyzing the market and researching companies with the end goal of effectively managing the club’s portfolio. 

AP News reports that the Trump tariffs have sent stocks downwards, with the S&P down more than 16% since the trade war began. Yahoo Finance reports that the overall stock market dropped about 19% after President Trump’s announcement of reciprocal tariffs on foreign nations that trade with the U.S. Uncertainty over these events has gripped the stock market and is affecting investors.  

Cadin Hogue, WSIG’s president, describes the state of the stock market and the uncertainty among investors. Hogue said, “There’s a lot of volatility. Investors aren’t sure what to do, so that uncertainty is driving a lot of those spikes and valleys in the stock market.”  

WSIG is concerned with creating an opportunity for members to learn. “Our new advisor, Jim Sear, talked about this today, bear markets can be some of the best learning periods… it really helps you learn a lot about how to diversify a portfolio,” said Hogue. 

This period in the stock market, marked by much volatility and uncertainty, is creating a valuable opportunity for WSIG’s members to learn about the market. 

What members are learning specifically from this period in the stock market is risk management and portfolio diversification. Hogue explains that the club’s investment strategy is not just to pick a potentially profitable stock but also to manage risk by diversifying the club’s portfolio across different sectors like healthcare, consumer, finance, etc. He mentions that as a part of managing risk, most investors flock to stocks in cheap, staple foods like Procter & Gamble, Campbell’s Soup, and PepsiCo. 

To ensure a valuable learning opportunity for members, WSIG is currently revising its investment goal. Hogue explains that the club can either take the direction of picking stocks to have a high return or to have the best stock selection, similar to the S&P 500. Hogue said, “It gives us a good opportunity to kind of reset and relook at our Constitution, our guidelines, what we’re really trying to give members.”  

This period of change for WSIG is multifaceted. WSIG’s previous advisor, Richard Cloutier, recently passed away, and a new advisor has been placed in his position. WSIG is also currently voting on leadership and new sector heads for the club.  

This period of change allows for reflection for WSIG. “What this means with the market being down right now is it gives us a really good opportunity to kind of reset as a club, kind of look at, you know, is the format and the way we run things right now really the best way to run things,” said Hogue. 

With this period of change in mind, WSIG holds high hopes for the future. “I think WSIG is going to come out of this a lot stronger, a lot smarter and a lot more prepared to really come out even farther ahead of our competition in the Pacific Northwest,” said Hogue.