Explore the Maraist Financial Services Lab, where UL Lafayette finance students use Bloomberg Terminals and manage a real investment portfolio.
Maraist Financial Services Lab
The Maraist Financial Services Lab opened in 2018 in F.G. Mouton Hall, giving students hands-on experience in portfolio management, financial strategy, trading, modeling, and business performance analysis. Its Bloomberg Terminals provide the same platform used by the world's leading banks, corporations, and government agencies, with real-time price data, financials, news, and trading data.
The lab features:
- 24 computer workstations
- 12 dual-monitor Bloomberg Terminals
- Indoor and outdoor LED tickers with a live feed of current stock prices
- A market wall displaying global financial market data
- Bloomberg Market Concepts certification for students
Student Managed Investment Portfolio
The lab is home to the Student Managed Investment Portfolio, a real portfolio of S&P 500 stocks that students manage for the UL Lafayette Foundation. Each semester, finance students in FNAN 485 track two stocks, research them on Bloomberg, and present an analyst report and recommendation to the Foundation's Investment Committee. As of December 31, 2025, the Foundation's original $200,000 investment had grown to $720,000 under student management.