Four students from Southeast Missouri State University beat out 1,600 other students and traded their way to a 162 percent total portfolio gain in four weeks to win the second annual thinkorswim® Challenge. The nationwide virtual trading competition sponsored by TD Ameritrade, Inc. (“TD Ameritrade”)1 attracted more than 1,600 students from 166 colleges and universities in 44 states who put their best investing ideas into action amid earnings season and heightened market volatility.

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Winners of TD Ameritrade's thinkorswim Challenge from Southeast Missouri State University (Photo: So ...

Winners of TD Ameritrade's thinkorswim Challenge from Southeast Missouri State University (Photo: Southeast Missouri State University)

The 2015 thinkorswim Challenge was held from Oct. 12 through Nov. 6, 2015, and was open to all students at postsecondary educational institutions in the U.S. Each of the 476 competing teams started with $500,000 in virtual money to invest in real time using the paperMoney® program on TD Ameritrade’s thinkorswim platform. Prizes were awarded to the top team whose portfolio had the highest percentage gains in aggregate value at the end of each trading week. The three teams with the highest percentage gain overall were also awarded prizes at the close of the competition, as were their respective schools.

“There is nothing like trading in a real-life environment,” said Nicole Sherrod, managing director at TD Ameritrade who heads the firm’s young investors program. “The thinkorswim Challenge provides an unparalleled experience for students to try investing with the paperMoney® safety net but with all the real activity like earnings announcements, breaking news and other events that shapes the direction of the markets every minute of every day. There is no substitute.”

Students largely remained optimistic about the market overall, with 49 percent of trades being bullish, 42 percent bearish and 8 percent volatility plays.

Team Gettin’ Paper Takes Top Prize
Calling themselves Gettin’ Paper, they won the competition outright, boasting a 162.50 percent portfolio gain and a final portfolio value of $1,312,521 after four weeks of trading. The team consisted of four undergraduate students at Southeast Missouri State University: Zac Rankin, a business administration major; Chelsey Winsor, an accounting major; Ben Asselmeier, computer graphics major; and John Racanelli, a psychology major.

Each member of the winning team received $3,500 to be deposited into his or her own TD Ameritrade brokerage account. The students won $3,000 as the prize for winning the Challenge overall and $500 for winning week two of the competition. As the school affiliated with the overall winning team, Southeast Missouri State University received $30,000 from TD Ameritrade for its role in teaching students about the importance of investing.

“The Harrison College of Business congratulates Captain Rankin and his team for their victory in the TD Ameritrade thinkorswim Challenge,” said Southeast Missouri State University Interim Dean Gary G. Johnson. “Navigating the investing world of “puts and calls” is a challenge in the classroom, but to apply that understanding in actual trades is a monumental accomplishment. To accumulate the most profit in the four-week period when competing with some of the best students at some of the best universities makes the reward that much sweeter.”

Johnson praised finance professor Dr. Ben Dow for his role in bringing this contest to the attention of the students and encouraging them to participate. “Clearly, Dr. Dow’s motivating influence was critical to the students’ success, and more broadly, the students truly represent Southeast Missouri State University’s “Will to Do” added Johnson.

“Our team employed a strategy consisting of directional calls and puts, as well as technical analysis and earnings reports,” said Zac Rankin. “One of the most important things I learned from this experience is that you can’t give up. We went from first to last a couple of times in the competition. The Challenge was like a roller coaster ride, just like the stock market. But you have to have patience and keep fighting.”

The second-place team, SoSig, hails from the University of North Texas, which produced last year’s overall winner, Go Mean Green. Both teams consisted of members from UNT’s Student Investment Group. Their 129 percent gain translated into a portfolio valued at $1,145,078 at the competition’s close. SoSig also brought in $20,000 for their school, and each team member won $2,000 deposited into a TD Ameritrade brokerage account. Third place went to team Clawed Z Eagle from American University, which ended up with a 109.50 percent gain and a portfolio worth $1,047,518.79. Clawed Z Eagle won $10,000 for their school, and each team member won $1,000 deposited into individual TD Ameritrade brokerage accounts.

The winners from each week of the competition are listed below:

      Team Name     Associated School
OVERALL     Gettin’ Paper     Southeast Missouri State University

Oct. 12-Nov. 7

           
Week One SIGnificant Gains University of North Texas

Oct. 12-Oct. 17

           
Week Two Gettin’ Paper Southeast Missouri State University

Oct. 19-Oct. 24

           
Week Three DuckGoQuack Stevens Institute of Technology

Oct. 26-Oct. 31

           
Week Four Tech Trading Texas Tech University

Nov. 2-Nov. 7

           
 

Variety in Trading Strategies Wins Too
Outside of awarding prizes to the top three teams for highest percentage gain, the 2015 Challenge introduced a prize for the team that acquired the most badges. Badges were awarded based on various trading activity. The winners were SDSUThetaTraders from San Diego State University, which acquired 40 badges. Each team member received $500 deposited into individual TD Ameritrade brokerage accounts.

Real-Time Experience is the Best Teacher
When it comes to refining one’s investing acumen, the competition revealed that real-time practice makes perfect. Students grew more sophisticated with their trading strategies as they spent more time in the market. During the last week of the thinkorswim Challenge, 86 percent of trades were options, and 14 percent were equities, compared with 36 percent equity trades and 64 percent options trades at the start of competition.

Students also invested in names they know, generally favoring the consumer discretionary sector more than any other. This is a change from last year in which technology was the favored sector. This year, Apple Inc. (AAPL) was the most frequently traded option, and Netflix (NFLX) was the most frequently traded stock.

Like TD Ameritrade clients, students in the thinkorswim Challenge could place trades from their desktops and mobile devices. The competition showed that Gen Z investors are at ease trading from mobile devices compared to other retail investors. Thirty six percent of trades in the Challenge were placed via a mobile device, a usage rate that is almost 100 percent higher than TD Ameritrade clients. The iPhone was the most frequently used mobile device for trading in the competition.

Financial Literacy is Not a Game
The 2015 thinkorswim Challenge was offered through TD Ameritrade U, an educational program for professors and college-run organizations that provides free access to virtual trading through paperMoney® on the thinkorswim trading platform. TD Ameritrade developed the program last year to help students prepare for the real world of personal finance by giving them the ability to put classroom theory into real-life investing practice. The firm believes that access to leading-edge investment resources and education is the first step in helping young people form savings and investing habits that can last a lifetime.

“We are thrilled with the 95 percent growth in enrollment in the thinkorswim Challenge this year,” said Sherrod. “There were several repeat participants, which tells us they thought this was a valuable and rewarding experience.”

For more information about TD Ameritrade U or the thinkorswim Challenge, visit www.tdameritradeu.com or www.thinkorswimchallenge.com. To receive updates on the 2016 thinkorswim Challenge, interested students and educators can email support@tdameritradeu.com.

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Past performance of a security, strategy or index is no guarantee of future results or investment success.

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Source: TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation

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1. TD Ameritrade, Inc. is a broker-dealer subsidiary of TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation. Brokerage services provided by TD Ameritrade, Inc., member FINRA (www.FINRA.org)/SIPC (www.SIPC.org)