As the first week of the High Frequency Trading Competition came to a close, more than fifty teams put their strategies to the test, designing algorithms aimed at generating profits while minimizing risk exposure. The week’s theme, “Fearful,” centered on periods of heightened market uncertainty, with trading scenarios built around peaks in the VIX.
We would like to congratulate Team Free Lunch, comprised of students from the University of Chicago, for placing first overall in PnL, and Team PumpNDump, made up of students from Stony Brook University, for achieving the highest Sharpe Ratio of the week.
Due to the competition’s scoring structure, strong early performance does not carry the same weight as success in the later rounds, leaving plenty of opportunity for teams to climb the leaderboard. Be sure to keep following along as the competition progresses and the standings begin to take shape.
Next week’s theme, “Spikes and Dips,” will challenge teams to trade through markets characterized by sharp price spikes and sudden dips followed by rapid recoveries.
