(NewsUSA)
This year, students at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J., beat out nearly 600 teams to take the top prize in the 14th annual contest — the first time in three years that the winning team was based in the United States.
Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pa.; Columbia University in New York City, N.Y.; Imperial College in London, England; and California University Chico in Chico, Calif., rounded out the top five.
CME Group, the world’s leading and most diverse derivatives exchange, hosts its complimentary, electronic trading competition each year to help educate the next generation of finance professionals on derivatives markets in today’s interconnected global economy.
During the four-week competition, students learn hands-on techniques and gain experience that they might not otherwise get by trading up to 10 different CME Group derivatives products from multiple-asset classes on a real-time professional trading platform. Live data and news are also provided to students free of charge.
In addition to the $1500 cash prize awarded to each member of the first-place team, the top five teams receive a cash prize. The top 10 percent of teams are also invited to attend a one-day market education conference in Chicago at CME Group in April.
This year’s competition saw record participation from more than 2,300 students from 35 countries around the world. Students can also try their hand at trading year-round by using CME Group’s Futures Fundamentals site, an innovative resource that offers interactive demonstrations of the role of futures markets in everyday life, along with a trading simulator.
“We are continually impressed with the participants, who are students studying business, finance, agriculture and economics at some of the world’s best universities,” says Anita Liskey, CME Group Managing Director, Corporate Marketing & Communications. “For many, this is their first hands-on experience in the markets. Inspiring the best and brightest students is a priority for CME Group around the world, and we think the Challenge does just that.”
Registration for next year’s competition will open in early 2018. To learn more about the Trading Challenge, visit http://www.cmegroup.com/education/trading_challenge.html