October 2006 Trading Simulator contest - First Prize $100.00

[Thierry Martin]

I have set up another trading simulator for October - 1st prize is $100, 2nd and 3rd prizes are trading books.

If you already played in previous competitions, you already have an account and your can just continue trading, your portfolio will be set back to $100,000.

If you are new to the simulator, you can join at anytime up to October 23. You must use the same username as you use here. This thread will be used to discuss the game and post updates on the standings.

You start with $100,000 and you can trade stocks long or short. We are not trading options anymore, as they made the results swing wildly both ways. Whoever has the highest amount at the close of trading on October 31, 2006 wins.

The trading simulator/contest is open only to registered members of this forum. (Registering is free!)

Send me a private message (http://www.cramersmadmoney.com/private.php?do=newpm&u=1) and I will send you the link for your free sign up.

[Marwan]

HI Thierry,

I would like to take part in October simulator contest, please sign me in.

Thanks
Marwan

[MoMoney4Me]

The Investopedia simulator is still showing September portfolio results.
When will it be reset for the October contest and trade orders accepted ?

[TonyM]

Anyone have any tips on how to get a limit sell order filled on a volatile stock? I keep getting killed due to the inability of the simulator to execute orders on a quick spike, do some of you just settle for taking the profit below where you are pretty sure the pps will run to, or is it just me?

[TonyM]

Well Thierry, I have no idea why this happens every month, but my portfoilio is still logged into the September simulator and there is no listing of any months madmoney games when I try to search for a game to join. I had to change my name last month just to get in. I guess I'll try the same if no one has any ideas on what's causing the problem.

[Jordan]

I have the same problem

[unstatusthequo]

Me too... happens every month for some reason.

[Crusher524]

I have the same problem as well.

[MoMoney4Me]

Same problem here this afternoon. It needs to be reset by the moderator. I guess this month will be shorter for us all after the reset.
And all my picks are up huge today !! Just kidding, but hey, let's get on the ball here !

[Thierry Martin]

Same problem here this afternoon. It needs to be reset by the moderator. I guess this month will be shorter for us all after the reset.
And all my picks are up huge today !! Just kidding, but hey, let's get on the ball here !

I have the same problem as well.

Me too... happens every month for some reason.

I have the same problem

Well Thierry, I have no idea why this happens every month, but my portfoilio is still logged into the September simulator and there is no listing of any months madmoney games when I try to search for a game to join. I had to change my name last month just to get in. I guess I'll try the same if no one has any ideas on what's causing the problem.

The Investopedia simulator is still showing September portfolio results.
When will it be reset for the October contest and trade orders accepted ?

The Investopedia programmers have been notified of the problem and I am waiting for a fix or a response - will post here when it happens. Sorry about this!

The reason the game doesn't show when you search is because it is a private, premium, invitation only contest so it is not listed for the general public.

[MoMoney4Me]

Thanks for the quick response to the problem. I'm sure it will be corrected soon.
Now that's what I call great customer service ! http://forums.wdwmagic.com/images/smilies/sohappy.gif

[MoMoney4Me]

The latest check shows the simulator portfolios have balances reset to 100k, but still has us on September which has already ended, so no orders are being accepted at this time.
We need to be reset and started on October's contest.

[Thierry Martin]

Waiting for the programmers to fix this!

[Thierry Martin]

The simulator has been repaired and the contest for October is now on!

[Empire]

says game has already ended still...?

[Jordan]

says game has already ended still...?

I get the same

[Thierry Martin]

Really fixed now!

[Thierry Martin]

385

[MoMoney4Me]

Really fixed now!

Thanks for sticking with it until it was fixed Thierry.
Good luck everyone !

[Empire]

Thanks for getting things smooth Thierry. Question though, I thought we could short? It says shorting is not aloud.

[Thierry Martin]

391

[Svenwulf]

i think its busted, or it updates even slower than it used to. i should be up about a k.

[Thierry Martin]

The problem is that if I post too early, the numbers aren't updated yet. Here is the right result for today. I'll try and post later in the evening - although you can check out the rankings yourself at the site.

394

[unstatusthequo]

Simulator is not making much sense. It's telling me COP has no volume! What the... 8O

And three other trades are simply "not trading." Ugh.

[Thierry Martin]

397

[Thierry Martin]

399

[ub3rn00ber]

ya i cant trade MOBE, o well. TCG, dont beat me :(

[Thierry Martin]

402

[TonyM]

Mr. Noober, how I'd like to know which stock(s) you are trading; you jumped up $5k this afternoon and then gave back $3k (by the way that chart is not up to date, I'm closer than that:mrgreen:)

Certainly making it interesting, and here I thought $13k or so could win this thing:roll:

[Svenwulf]

so does chinaman get an "honorable mention?" seems like all the high flyers are playing in xing! hope your making more than paper money with that. again, congrats chinaman!

[TonyM]

I can't figure out how this damn simulator figures out everyone's balance, I know there is a 20 minute delay, but the last 2 days ub's total increased after 8pm which makes me wonder how accurate it is during the day, which makes it tough to strategize.

What makes you think we are both trading XING?

[Thierry Martin]

I can't figure out how this damn simulator figures out everyone's balance, I know there is a 20 minute delay, but the last 2 days ub's total increased after 8pm which makes me wonder how accurate it is during the day, which makes it tough to strategize.

What makes you think we are both trading XING?

Sometime in the evening they consolidate all the trades and update the totals - that's why I am going to post the charts for the day around midnight from now on, because the total changes in the evening for that day.

[Thierry Martin]

404

[Svenwulf]

What makes you think we are both trading XING?

go to competiton rankings toward the bottom middle of your portfolio summary page- when you are looking at the ladder, everyone's name should be highlighted. click to view trade history. used to be able to actually look at folks mock portfolios, but now just trade history.

i agree about the final tallies- seems investopedia is slower than ever, jmo.

[TonyM]

go to competiton rankings toward the bottom middle of your portfolio summary page- when you are looking at the ladder, everyone's name should be highlighted. click to view trade history. used to be able to actually look at folks mock portfolios, but now just trade history.

i agree about the final tallies- seems investopedia is slower than ever, jmo.

Not highlighted on mine, maybe it's a Firefox issue, I'll try it with Explorer later. Looking at the simultaenous drops this morning it is quite apparent though huh?:wink:

So yes, a shout out to chinaman711 for an excellent call is in order.

[Thierry Martin]

407

[Thierry Martin]

410

[reef]

I still have not been paid fopr winning this contest nor recieved my book for winning a weekly competition............ What's up??? :confused: :evil:

[MoMoney4Me]

I still have not been paid fopr winning this contest nor recieved my book for winning a weekly competition............ What's up??? :confused: :evil:

Trick or Treat !!! http://forums.wdwmagic.com/images/smilies/lol.gif http://forums.wdwmagic.com/images/smilies/c.gif

[Thierry Martin]

I still have not been paid fopr winning this contest nor recieved my book for winning a weekly competition............ What's up??? :confused: :evil:

This is my fault for not hiring someone to help me - I am sending you an extra book to make up for the unforgivable delays.

Everybody does get their prizes, but sometimes it takes a little time. I am going to fix this.

[Thierry Martin]

415

[chriscoop]

I wanna know what the crap did reef2 buy??????????????????

He could have gave us a heads up to buy some real shares for ourselves.

[Empire]

I tell you something, reef's move totatlly ruined my pull into third place, haha.:(

[accrue]

What did reef2 buy or short? His equity is over $211k.

[TheChartGuru]

This is not to put down the fantastic percent gain Reef2 had Friday, I just like to know how does a total equity of $98,350 on Thursday turn into over $200,000 the next day? That means that all of the $98,000 had to been traded on a stock, that meets the rules criteria, that yielded a 100%+ gain in one day. I only found AVSR, but it only traded 1.173 million shares. Of course, the other scenerio is that Reef2 made several fantastic and well planned trades on the same day. BTW, Investopedia only allows me to trade stocks long. Are there any other trading options that we can use that I don't know about?

Again, congrats Reef. Your huge gain will only make us try harder to beat you and at the same time, hopefully, make us better traders in the long run.

The Guru has spoken

[TonyM]

This is not to put down the fantastic percent gain Reef2 had Friday, I just like to know how does a total equity of $98,350 on Thursday turn into over $200,000 the next day? That means that all of the $98,000 had to been traded on a stock, that meets the rules criteria, that yielded a 100%+ gain in one day. I only found AVSR, but it only traded 1.173 million shares. Of course, the other scenerio is that Reef2 made several fantastic and well planned trades on the same day. BTW, Investopedia only allows me to trade stocks long. Are there any other trading options that we can use that I don't know about?

Again, congrats Reef. Your huge gain will only make us try harder to beat you and at the same time, hopefully, make us better traders in the long run.

The Guru has spoken

I think you're forgetting that reef2 could have used margin to increase his equity and as his equity was rapidly increasing so was his margin buying power, giving him some nice leverage on a fast moving stock.

I'd love to know which stock he picked as well, but at least now I don't feel bad for forgetting to a stop on my position when it was at $120k:oops:

[chriscoop]

someone get a hold of him and get the full story.. I'm really curious now. 8O

[Thierry Martin]

BTW, Investopedia only allows me to trade stocks long. Are there any other trading options that we can use that I don't know about?

There may be some Invesopedia games that don't allow shorting, but the one we are playing is set up like this:

Number of players 31
Group Manager Thierry Martin
Access Private
Accounts margin+short
Starting capital 100000
Currency(ies) USD
Starting date 10/1/2006
End date 10/31/2006
Allow late entry Yes
Market Order Delay 20
Long Margin Rate 0.50
Quick Sell Disabled
Allow Options No
Allow Options Written No
Short Margin Rate 1.5
Daily Volume 0.10
Option Daily Volume 0.25
Diversification Disabled
Diversification Option Disabled
Min price of equity to go long 1.00
Min price of equity to go short 5.00
Margin Interest 0.08
Commision - Market 9.95
Commision - Limit 9.95
Commision - Option 9.95
Commision - per Contract 1.75
Cash Interest 0.03
Min equity price to be margin-able 5


So, we have options disallowed (we would see wild swings with options) but you can short stocks over $5.00 a share. Margin is also available.

[Thierry Martin]

Ok, everybody, I looked into this and what has happened is that Reef2 bought JDSU then sold it the day after it did a reverse 8 - 1 split - I guess Investopedia choked on this and credited him with a huge gain, since the stock was suddenly worth 8 times what he paid for it. They should have chopped his holdings by an eighth. I will contact Investopedia about this, but I believe that 1st place is actually thechartguru. Sorry reef2!

[Empire]

Ok, everybody, I looked into this and what has happened is that Reef2 bought JDSU then sold it the day after it did a reverse 8 - 1 split - I guess Investopedia choked on this and credited him with a huge gain, since the stock was suddenly worth 8 times what he paid for it. They should have chopped his holdings by an eighth. I will contact Investopedia about this, but I believe that 1st place is actually thechartguru. Sorry reef2!

haha mannnn that's crazy. Thanks Thierry! I read over the game we're playing but our game is the only game I play and it doesn't seem to let any of us short...weird...?

[TheChartGuru]

Ok, everybody, I looked into this and what has happened is that Reef2 bought JDSU then sold it the day after it did a reverse 8 - 1 split - I guess Investopedia choked on this and credited him with a huge gain, since the stock was suddenly worth 8 times what he paid for it. They should have chopped his holdings by an eighth. I will contact Investopedia about this, but I believe that 1st place is actually thechartguru. Sorry reef2!


Wow, did not realize that JDSU had reverse split. Nice. May be a play for next week. :)

The Guru has spoken

[TheChartGuru]

haha mannnn that's crazy. Thanks Thierry! I read over the game we're playing but our game is the only game I play and it doesn't seem to let any of us short...weird...?


It doesn't allow me to short or use margin. I only have a little over $600 buying power which is my cash available.

The Guru has spoken

[MoMoney4Me]

Glad to get the news. Just as I was about to throw in the towel.
Ok, TCG, I'm coming up on your heels. Watch out ! :lol:

[reef]

LOL, Look at all the ruckus JDSU caused, hehe.

[Thierry Martin]

It doesn't allow me to short or use margin. I only have a little over $600 buying power which is my cash available.

The Guru has spoken


See the setup from above:

Min price of equity to go short 5.00

Min equity price to be margin-able 5.00

You don't have anything above $5.00, so you your account isn't marginable or shortable. :(

[TheChartGuru]

See the setup from above:

Min price of equity to go short 5.00

Min equity price to be margin-able 5.00

You don't have anything above $5.00, so you your account isn't marginable or shortable. :(

Ahhhhhhhhh...thanks for clearing that up Thierry. I like to trade stocks between $1 and $5, that is why I couldn't short or use margin.

[roxy143xo]

hi. i'm new. last day to sign up, right? Thanks.

[TheChartGuru]

See the setup from above:

Min price of equity to go short 5.00

Min equity price to be margin-able 5.00

You don't have anything above $5.00, so you your account isn't marginable or shortable. :(

Thierry, I tried shorting AETH (over $5) and tried to buy on margin and Investopedia didn't allow the trades. Am I doing something wrong?

Frank

[Thierry Martin]

Thierry, I tried shorting AETH (over $5) and tried to buy on margin and Investopedia didn't allow the trades. Am I doing something wrong?

Frank

from the settings:

Long Margin Rate 0.50
Short Margin Rate 1.5

That means that you can't buy (or sell) on margin unless you have 50% (or 150%) of the value you are trying to transact in cash. Is that true in your case?

[Thierry Martin]

426

[Thierry Martin]

432

[Thierry Martin]

439

[TonyM]

It's a bit of a bummer that the game ends before the trading day does, any way of fixing that for November's game?

[Empire]

I concur! But man, I was pretty determined to give that lead up today,huh. One bad trade after another; and just as i was trying to dig my way out the the game ends. I'm all 'wha wha?' haha.
Ah well.

[Thierry Martin]

It's a bit of a bummer that the game ends before the trading day does, any way of fixing that for November's game?

What happened?

[Thierry Martin]

Empire congratulations, looks like you're the winner. The official numbers will be later, sometimes they adjust late in the evening.

444

[TonyM]

What happened?

I was going to try a hail mary trade at 3:30 and Investopedia displayed a message indicating the game was over.

[Empire]

wooo! this is actually pretty cool considering this is my first month trading, haha. i'd like to thank VLCM, ARNA, GOOG, CMG, and SHLD for kicking ass for me all month-hah!
anyways, that was fun. thanks thierry. on to the next month!

[Empire]

Edit: ummm looks like I lost? How does it adjust that much? i'm confused. damnit. haha.

[Thierry Martin]

Edit: ummm looks like I lost? How does it adjust that much? i'm confused. damnit. haha.

I shouldn't have posted the totals that early, sorry. The trades for the day don't settle until quite late, normally they don't make a big enough difference, today they did.