The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) today announced the winners of the third annual Virtual Trading Game (VTG). The winner of the Speculator Portfolio is Avuzwa Mphithi from the Western Cape, with Ivone Stanley from Gauteng taking top honours in the ETF/ETN Portfolio. The winners will take home R60 000 each.
The winners were announced at the 4th “Ring the Bell for Financial Literacy”, a campaign initiated by the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) in partnership with the International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) in support of World Investor Week (WIW). WIW is a global campaign aimed at raising awareness about the importance of financial literacy and to promote investor protection.
The VTG is an annual financial literacy programme that is focused on educating South Africans about investing on the bourse and the vital role of investment in the economy. Through the VTG, South Africans are able to gain real-life investing and trading skills and can learn about the fundamentals of trading as well as strategise around trading JSE-listed instruments.
The game depicts a simulated trading environment in which players invest R1 million in a risk-free environment. The player that achieves the highest return at the end of the competition wins R60 000 in investment vouchers.
Winners in the Speculator Portfolio hailed from Gauteng and the Western Cape. Following Avuzwa Mphithi as the winner, Bradley Minords and Eugene Smith from Gauteng took second and third place respectively. They will be awarded with R30,000 and R10,000 in investment vouchers.
The ETF/ETN portfolio saw Gauteng come out tops with Ivone Stanley as the winner. Second place, taking home a R30 000 voucher is Nadean Gopaulsingh from Kwa-Zulu Natal, and Avela Balintulo from the Eastern Cape, receives third prize with an investment voucher worth R10,000.
Since launching in 2021 the VTG has grown significantly from over 5000 entrants in 2022, to over 8600 in 2023.
Idris Seedat, Head: Transformation and CSI, says: “We’re seeing that South Africans have a keen interest in learning about financial markets and the increased uptake is testament to this. The VTG makes investing relatable and accessible to the general public.”
The VTG is open to South African residents and citizens that are not currently secondary or tertiary students, or professional investors
