Taking part in the JSE Investment Challenge Public Game has given last year's winners more confidence to trade and even proved helpful in their careers.
The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) launched its first trading game in June last year to provide ambitious traders with a virtual platform to test their skills and interact within the trading environment.
Each participant in the game is given an imaginary sum of R1 000 000 to create a virtual portfolio of shares listed on the JSE. Share performance is then tracked and measured to determine a winner. This year players can also get a more authentic experience of trading on the exchange as trades will be made at a 15 minute time delay instead of at end-of-day prices.
Deon van der Merwe, who placed first last year, grew his portfolio by 18 % (R180 000) from the virtual R1-million share portfolio and took home R30 000. At the time, Deon was employed on a contract basis and was looking for permanent employment. “Participating in the contest gave me a competitive advantage in job interviews, I believe, because it showcased the interest and passion I have in trading and investment.”
Marlin Govender took third place after growing his portfolio by 13% (R130 000) and won R10 000: “Winning the third prize was a welcomed relief financially, I was trading forex at that point in time and having a global view helped me choose the right stocks on the JSE. “What surprised me was that anyone can enter the game and win. This made me grow in confidence as I didn’t have to be an expert.”
“Our aim is to increase public participation on the JSE by showing that investing is something that anyone can do. The competition fulfils an important role in financial education and gives people a solid foundation for investing” says Dudu Seme, Retail Development Officer at the JSE.
Although registrations for this year’s Game are closed, investors can make use of the JSE’s virtual trading platform free of charge for a trial period of 30 days.
To assist novice investors in learning more about financial markets and investing, the JSE is also hosting a series of webinars focused on developing a trading strategy; building a small and midcap-portfolio;, fundamental and technical analysis used for trading shares; and various sessions on the JSE’s different derivative products and how they can fit into investment portfolios.