Students Shubham Rathi and Leonardo Knol, who are pursuing a master's degree in Quantitative Finance at Erasmus School of Economics, are Europe’s winners of the IMC’s global trading challenge. Globally they secured fourth place out of 8,000+ registered teams.
After 10 days of intense trading of wasabi roots, ukuleles, and mayberries with ducks and penguins, Leonardo and Shubham successfully out-trade thousands of competitors with their deep fascination for market making and strong passion for the analytical skills and intricacies required to thrive in the industry. Shubham is ecstatic about their achievement and couldn't be prouder: ‘This competition was nothing short of fantastic, and Leonardo and I are incredibly grateful to IMC Trading and their team for putting together such an engaging and insightful event.’
‘A fantastic way to challenge yourself’
The competition has ignited the students’ passion for trading even further. Shubham: ‘This experience was a true test of our skills, knowledge, and strategic thinking, and Leonardo and I are excited to carry these learnings forward as we continue to build our careers in trading. To anyone out there who might be considering participating in such challenges, we highly recommend taking the plunge. It's a fantastic way to challenge yourself, learn new skills, and network with like-minded individuals.’
The core business of leading global market maker IMC is to provide liquidity in financial assets on trading venues, and to deliver the best outcome in value and risk to investors. To recruit new talent, IMC has been working on Prosperity’s game mechanics, market simulation and storyline for over a year. By participating in the challenge, students can put their trading skills to the test and present themselves as the future’s top traders. As one of the world's most active proprietary trading firms, IMC is specialising in algorithm trading and advanced technology and setting the pace for the evolution of market making.
Firsthand experience what algorithmic trading entails
Steven Biester, Global Marketing Manager at IMC, says: 'The trading challenge is created to reach the best talent in the world, especially those who might have never considered a career in trading before. Contestants experience firsthand what algorithmic trading entails. We mimic a lot of the real dynamics that you would encounter in trading. It is collaborative, fast-paced and requires drive, intellect and inventiveness. On top of that it is also a lot of fun and really requires you to go beyond the obvious, just like a career in trading at IMC.’
Leonardo and Shubham have credited their success to a financial intuition that allowed them to anticipate market dynamics. The two of them refer to their impressive and extensive market knowledge, as a “financial hunch” that guided them through the challenge, combined with proficiency in mathematics, programming, and statistics. What they enjoy the most about trading and market making is the excitement and novelty of the industry, with each day, being different from the last. Their dedication and skill to trading is evident through their successful participation in trading competitions.
- More information
For more information, please contact Ronald de Groot, Media and Public Relations Officer at Erasmus School of Economics: rdegroot@ese.eur.nl, mobile phone: +31 6 53641 846.