I found an interesting online stock trading game some years ago and played around with it some. The results were quite discouraging. Recently tried it again and I’ve either gotten better at this, or simply got very lucky.
Here’s the link if you want to give it a try :
[ this seems to format best using IE, ugh ]
Here’s the link if you want to give it a try :
[ this seems to format best using IE, ugh ]
When playing Chartgame, the computer will present you with a random historical stock chart of an actual large cap (S&P 500) security, without telling you which company and time period the chart represents.
You are then given the opportunity to reveal the stock chart one day at a time, with an option to buy or sell short the stock at the next day’s open. Once in a position, you can advance one day at a time until you decide to sell or cover, or until one year has elapsed. You also have the option to skip to the next chart if the current one doesn’t seem interesting.
Here are my results from a recent session :
| Security | Time period | Days in | Cash in/out | Gain | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equifax Inc. (EFX) | Nov 20, 2007 Feb 07, 2008 | 43/53 | $10,000.00 $9,587.68 | -4.12% | |||||||
| Eastman Kodak Co. (EK) | Sep 19, 2005 Apr 25, 2006 | 109/150 | $9,587.68 $10,821.74 | +12.87% | |||||||
| Dow Jones & Co. Inc. (DJ) | Jul 08, 2003 Oct 02, 2003 | 18/61 | $10,821.74 $10,533.66 | -2.66% | |||||||
| Altera Corp. (ALTR) | Aug 31, 2006 Mar 19, 2007 | 92/135 | $10,533.66 $12,172.23 | +15.56% | |||||||
| Aetna Inc. (AET) | Jul 01, 2004 Oct 12, 2004 | 32/71 | $12,172.23 $13,148.88 | +8.02% | |||||||
| Best Buy Co. Inc. (BBY) | Jul 14, 1997 Sep 24, 1997 | 19/51 | $13,148.88 $17,063.20 | +29.77% | |||||||
| OfficeMax Inc. (OMX) | Dec 18, 2003 Feb 04, 2004 | 10/31 | $17,063.19 $18,555.52 | +8.75% | |||||||
| State Street Corp. (STT) | Feb 25, 1999 Jun 03, 1999 | 48/68 | $18,555.52 $20,946.55 | +12.89% | |||||||
| Alberto-Culver Co. (ACV) | Jun 10, 2005 Mar 27, 2006 | 197/199 | $20,946.54 $20,900.42 | -0.22% | |||||||
| Totals: | 568/2390 | $20,900.42 | +109.0% | ||||||||
That’s not too shabby. I might have to start trading stocks again, lol.
It’s important to note that it’s just a simulation. Without real money on the line, there’s not much psychological pressure. But still, I think it may be a useful training tool. It will be interesting to see if I can come up with decent results in subsequent sessions.
It’s also important to note that I was very selective, using the “next chart” button whenever a chart didn’t grab me. If it looked ok, but not set up properly, I would not be shy about advancing day by day until it set up or I missed the trade. Also, I did no short sales in this session, recalling that shorts tended to hurt me in previous attempts.
It’s important to note that it’s just a simulation. Without real money on the line, there’s not much psychological pressure. But still, I think it may be a useful training tool. It will be interesting to see if I can come up with decent results in subsequent sessions.
It’s also important to note that I was very selective, using the “next chart” button whenever a chart didn’t grab me. If it looked ok, but not set up properly, I would not be shy about advancing day by day until it set up or I missed the trade. Also, I did no short sales in this session, recalling that shorts tended to hurt me in previous attempts.