CSUEB Undergraduate Finance Students Participated in the CME Group University Trading Challenge

Our undergraduate finance students from FIN 430 Derivatives Markets class have recently participated in the 2021 University Trading Challenge by the CME Group in October 2021: The CME Group University Trading Challenge provides an electronic trading competition of futures contracts. This annual trading competition provides a unique opportunity for students (who worked as a trading team) to gain experiential learning of futures markets with decision-making, real-time trading, and hands-on techniques for trading futures contracts.

During the competition this year, there are 167 schools (with teams of undergraduate and graduate students) participating around the world. During this global competition, our undergraduate finance students have formed a trading team of five and competed with other student teams around the world.

Our CSUEB trading team has participated in trading a variety of CME Group futures contracts from multiple asset classes in a simulated, professional trading platform. During the four-week period of intensive trading, our students have performed live trading of various futures contracts and utilized educational resources. Overall, they have gained valuable hands-on and experiential learning of futures trading using electronic trading software and futures contracts provided by the futures exchange.

REFLECTIONS FROM CAL STATE EAST BAY STUDENTS

“I found that my involvement in the CME competition proved to be a wonderful and invaluable
experience. This was something I never expected to be a part of or ever thought I would have
the opportunity to trade futures through a professional trading software such as CQG.
Professor Fung and my teammates taught me so much about my techniques and
strategies for futures trading that I could not have learned anywhere else. I also learned that
futures were not the easiest to trade and much research was needed when I was not actively
trading. Overall this was an incredible opportunity and anyone and everyone who has the
opportunity to be a part of the CME competition should definitely take part.”

Tyler Craig, Team Member of the CSUEB trading team

“Participating in the CME trading competition was nothing short of my expectations going into
the competition. I have prior experience in the stock market and trading derivatives, but the
futures market is an entirely different ball game and going into it I had a learning curve to
overcome. The software that was used for the competition was advanced compared to many
interactive brokerages you would see today like robinhood. Textbooks do not teach you what I
was able to experience or had to learn in a short period of time such as trading through the
CME trading systems, navigating a resilient team, waking up early in the morning to chart, and
understanding order flow information. These are all valuable skills that will continue to benefit
me in my trading career. When you feel you are down on your luck, you have to remind yourself
we are only a few trades away from a comeback and that any loss here is a learning experience for
the next trade. What I honestly took away from this experience was that the futures market is
high risk but higher reward. Futures are extremely volatile and very dangerous due to the leverage
used without proper risk management like setting stop losses or keeping track of an order after
being placed made all the difference, because in a blink of an eye it will all be gone and you'll be
there scratching your head. This competition was a great way to introduce me to the futures
market and the types of contracts that are offered in addition to how they function. I
encourage every student who has the opportunity to take part in this competition to do so. I
would also like to give a special thanks to my trading team advisor Scott Fung for giving
me this opportunity to lead the team, for always being available when needed and
for providing raw feedback to the team about our perceptions of market conditions. It has been
truly an honor to represent Cal State East Bay this year and hope in the future I can help the next
generation of investors at CSUEB after becoming Alumni.”

James Soto, Team Lead of the CSUEB trading team

"It's rare to get a chance to use the same software that the CME pros use. It was a phenomenal experience being able to work with fellow students working as a team. Glad I had the chance to participate."