ASX Sharemarket Game: registrations open

The ASX Sharemarket Game is on again with registrations open from 8 July to 5 August, and the trading period running from 7 August to 14 November.

The Game, which is sponsored by Westpac Broking, replicates real-time sharemarket prices, allowing investors to create their own virtual share portfolio and experience what it's like to invest in the sharemarket, without risking their own money.

Participants also have access to educational tools such as newsletters, company announcements and watchlists, to assist them in making educated decisions about stock selections. The winner of the last game was a novice to the market and managed a return of 44% over the 14 week trading period.

The player with the highest portfolio after fourteen weeks will share in a prize pool of over $15,000 including a $5,000 Westpac Broking account.

Tony Hunter, head of ASX Investor Education explains: "The ASX Public Sharemarket Game is a fun and informative way to learn about sharemarket investing. The Game is a great tool for investors to practice their trading strategies - whether they're just starting out in share investing, or for those more experienced investors wanting to develop and test their trading strategies."

To register for game two, visit the ASX Sharemarket Game website from 8 July. Entry is free, but numbers are limited - so hurry.

Game one winning strategy

The winners of game one were recently announced. The national winner, Adam from SA, increased his portfolio by over 44% over the three month trading period (the All Ords actually decreased by 51% over the same period). So what was the winning strategy? "My strategy was quite simple," explains Adam. "I picked about twenty companies that I thought were strong and always seemed to go up and down 4 or 5 per cent. When the share market had a bad day I bought and when they bounced back I sold. This did not always work and I sometimes sold too early and missed out on some profits but I tried not to get greedy."