2011 saw the second-ever Traders Trophy Worldwide for students in Switzerland. This year’s Swiss heats culminated in the final on Friday, 25 November at SIX Swiss Exchange. Winner Philippe Lauber will represent Switzerland next spring at the global final in Amsterdam. The competition was initiated by Oxyor, a financial services company based in Amsterdam. In Switzerland it is supported by SIX Swiss Exchange and, for the first time, Credit Suisse.
The competition offered students realtime experience as traders in a virtual trading room. The Swiss heats are part of an international event taking place around the globe. The number of countries participating has risen from three when the competition started in 2008 to 15 this year. The Dutch and UK Traders Trophy heats were also carried out this week.
Over 120 students from the Universities of Lausanne, St. Gallen and Zurich, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich and the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) in Winterthur took part in the preliminary rounds held at the various academic institutions between 21 and 23 November 2011. The 30 most successful traders qualified for the final round at SIX Swiss Exchange.
By means of simulated securities transactions, finalists were assessed according to the criteria of profitability, market awareness, client service and risk management. Their ability to withstand the pressure on the financial markets was also closely monitored. Transactions were executed on over 30 laptops connected to a network to simulate a virtual trading room in which traders could trade with one another and with fictitious market players.
Peter Heuvelmans, a partner at Oxyor, explains: “The Traders Trophy gives students a unique opportunity to form their own impressions of the financial markets, the workings of a stock exchange, and the profession of trader. I personally am delighted at the huge interest shown by students in our competition.”
In his opening address at the final, Christian Katz, CEO Swiss Exchange, said: “SIX Swiss Exchange regards the development of talents in Switzerland as a crucial task. The competition offers students an excellent opportunity to familiarize themselves with a simulated trading environment that demands trading discipline as well as a grasp of business and economics.”
The winner of this year’s competition, Philippe Lauber, received a cash prize of CHF 1,000 as well as qualifying for the global finals in Amsterdam.
