Stock Market Contest

Fall 2009

 

We will be using the Virtual Stock Exchange sponsored by The Wall Street Journal.  The steps for registering for the contest are shown below.  You will start out with $100,000 to invest.  The higher up in our rankings that you finish the more extra credit you will receive.  Good luck!

 

  1. Go to www.vse.marketwatch.com .  Click on the Please Register link.

 

  1. Fill out the form including an email, your own password (don’t forget it), and a display name to be used in the game.  Please start your display name with the name for this class—either Micro, Macro, or General.  Thus, if you are taking micro and your name is Mike, you might put as a display name Micro Mike.  You also need to put down an age.  I would suggest leaving the 2 contact boxes unchecked, but you will need to check the two I agree and I accept boxes before clicking the Register button.

 

  1. Click on the Find a Game to Join link on the left-hand side of the page.

 

  1. Enter the game ID PierceFall2009 to find our game.  (Note the two capitals and no spaces.)

 

  1. The game password is Fall2009 (no space).  This will register you for the game.

 

  1. You can begin buying stocks right away.  The game runs through Friday, November 27.  To buy stocks, click on the Make a Trade button, fill in the name of the stock that you want to buy and click Go.  You then fill in how many shares that you would like to buy.  The latest price is also given to help you.  The easiest way to sell stocks is to click on the T link under My Portfolio for the stock that you want to sell.  The cost for each trade is $15.

 

  1. If you trade after the stock market is closed, your trade will be held until the next trading morning.  Be careful not to put so many trades through that it goes above the amount of money that you have.  If you put a buy order through on Friday at 2 p.m., the trade will not go through until the market opens again on Monday at 6:30 a.m.   

 

  1. Any money that you have that is not in stocks should earn 1% annually.

 

  1. You must buy stocks that trade for at least $1 per share.  You are not allowed to borrow money.  You are not allowed to buy derivatives, such as stock options.  You are not allowed to short sell stocks.  You must hold onto the stocks that you buy for at least 3 trading days.  You are not allowed to buy stocks based on short term fluctuations in the market (such as which stocks have gained the most that day or that hour).  If asked, you should be able to give me an explanation as to why you bought a stock.  You are not allowed to do anything that you could not do in the real stock market.

 

  1. You must buy at least $50,000 in stocks by October 29 or face fines and/or elimination.