Test your strategies with the ASX Sharemarket Game

In the ASX Sharemarket Game participants are given a virtual amount of money to invest with the challenge to make it grow. Tony Hunter, Head of Education at ASX, says the game is popular amongst teachers as a way of bringing real world events into the classroom.

The ASX Sharemarket Game is a great way for people to familiarise themselves with shares and how the market operates. The game uses real time prices, and orders are matched against the real volume in the market. It’s free to play and we run two games per year.

Along with a game for adults, we run a game for secondary school students. The ASX Schools Sharemarket Game has been in existence for 30 years and is is popular amongst teachers as a way of bringing real world events into the classroom. Students enjoy the game as it opens up a new opportunity for them to talk with their peers and their family about money and the world around them.

Trading in the public game opened on 7 August and the school game opens 21 August. Registration does stay open for a little while once trading has started.

Over the past year we have worked to improve the game experience, both the interface and ‘under the bonnet’:

A new user interface means that you can find your way around the game easily and quickly.

Everyone seems to have a tablet these days, and more people are doing things on their smart phones. Now you can play the game on them too.

A lot of brokers recommend the use of stop loss orders. You have the opportunity to familiarise yourself with falling sells in the game.

Do you have friends who are interested in the market? Register for the game, set up your own league and invite them to join. As well as being part of the overall rankings you will have your own league’s rankings.

From just over 100 companies we have expanded the list to the companies in the S&P/ASX 300 index. This means that there are more stocks to consider and more stocks to learn about.

The ASX Sharemarket Game is all about learning how to be a better investor, but of course it is still nice to win something. There are cash prizes for the top players based on portfolio values at game end plus there will be a weekly prize for the most improved player.

Tony Hunter is Head of Education at ASX (Australian Securities Exchange).