The results are out.... http://advancedtrading.com/tradingsystems/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=206904936 http://www.interactivebrokers.com/en/general/education/IBTradingOlympiad.php
Winners number 71 and 72 with $718 and $516 in profits got the best deals. Make less than $1000 in play money and win $1000 in real money. Anyone know where I can get odds like that ?
The winners did well. If i was one of the top 3 winners i would take my winnings, open an IB account and trade it, with the same system (perhaps a bit less leverage!). This time next year they will be millionaires. Who wants to be a slave for IB when you can make 200% in two months (or even a year) trading for yourself. No pre-ipo share options now either...
Since you only list 73 winners, when the top 100 get money, the last of whom only made $516, it seems like anybody who made money in the contest got a cash reward. I notice the list is even worse in past years. In 2006, a guy making only $0.41 still got a $1000 in real prize money. Really makes me think the rules of the contest need to be adjusted.
The rules are humorous. In the years to come there will be two changes that will broaden the market participation. One will be display platforms that allow people to see the markets and the second will be to have execution platforms that allow people to run sizable accounts where the brokers do not reject trading signals because they cannot handle the business. The contest does not attract participants since there is no way to trade signals. For example, here is a simple one pager. How long will it be before this can be handled? This is a rhetorical Q.
IB as this is a student contest it would be appropriate to list the school the winners attend. It is definitely a good experience for all those that took part in the contest.
they would not necessaril be millionaires. trading real time is waaaaaaaaaay diff. than doing for some fake competition. but yeah, i would take the winnings and trade on my own. the student won 100K or won the competition in which they played with a 100K?
My guess is, many of the large brokerages on Wall Street are making the top 3 winners some decent offers for their programs.