Best Virtual Portfolio or Stock Simulator Program

Hey guys,

Anyone know what the best virtual portfolio software is? I want to build a simulated portfolio and run it similar to the pros by tracking an index, calculating attribution, alpha, tracking error, and etc.

Anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks

Good Virtual Investing System

Our users shared a number of suggestions below.

exceptionruled - Consulting Analyst:
Marketwatch Virtual Stock Exchange is free and easy to use: http://www.marketwatch.com/game/. We use it for virtual stock competitions in my school's Investing Club.

chicandtoughness:

Good old thinkorswim: https://www.thinkorswim.com

User @ivedtara", an engineer, shared https://www.investfly.com/ as a suggestion.

User @sambotanman" shared Investopedia as a suggestion.

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Interested in this as well, this is a noob question but are there also other simulators that possibly offer securities other than stocks? Possibly like preferreds/mezzanine/secured/senior/mortgage back security? Most of these are pretty opaque but I was just wondering regardless if there was some dream simulator out there.

 

CMS Forex's virtual trader is what I use. I absolutely love the platform.

-------------------------------------------------------- "I do not think there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcom
 

Ninja Trader (Futures) or Think or Swim.

If you're really trying to get into options, I would suggest Think or Swim as they have a great platform and it's easy to negotiate lower commissions as well.

Try out their free platforms!

"Salesmen and traders are wild, cunning, aboriginal creatures who advise money managers about deceiving their bosses and finding new strip bars; their favourite phrase is, "Fuck you." IBankers eat fruit. Salesmen and traders eat meat, preferably fried."
 

Strategydesk with TD is like that qwerty, I know a lotta guys who use some of their own code..

Haven't heard of marketcetera though.

"Salesmen and traders are wild, cunning, aboriginal creatures who advise money managers about deceiving their bosses and finding new strip bars; their favourite phrase is, "Fuck you." IBankers eat fruit. Salesmen and traders eat meat, preferably fried."
 

Valid point. Though when I trade virtual money I consider it a way to open doors and actually make money, so I give it a value, even though hard to quantify.

Never discuss with idiots, first they drag you at their level, then they beat you with experience.
 

perhaps others in trading can confirm/deny effectiveness of trading on your own, but do NOT take out a loan to try a trading strategy (I mentioned this here: http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/personal-loan-for-equities).

your likely outcomes are:

  1. you go bankrupt (assuming it's a personal loan) and ruin your credit forever
  2. you double your money (which probably won't be a huge amount to begin with)
  3. you barely breakeven or make/lose a few pennies.

I see so much risk with you trading on borrowed money and I don't know that it will improve your chances at getting hired enough to warrant the risk of loss.

 
thebrofessor:

perhaps others in trading can confirm/deny effectiveness of trading on your own, but do NOT take out a loan to try a trading strategy (I mentioned this here: //www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/personal-loa...).

your likely outcomes are:

1. you go bankrupt (assuming it's a personal loan) and ruin your credit forever
2. you double your money (which probably won't be a huge amount to begin with)
3. you barely breakeven or make/lose a few pennies.

I see so much risk with you trading on borrowed money and I don't know that it will improve your chances at getting hired enough to warrant the risk of loss.

I second this. It's a stupid decision.

 

A number of popular blogs from investingdotcom, abnormal returns, calculated risk, zerohedge.

Never discuss with idiots, first they drag you at their level, then they beat you with experience.
 

There are plenty of firms that hire interns to teach you how to crawl and walk in trading. You want to avoid those prop firms that requires capital investments unless you are already a proven trader with good strategies and outcome (years) - from my understanding of the forums.

Work, save up, try to kill your bills and once you land the internship learn learn learn.

 
Best Response
careerchanger:
Are there any differences besides the extra pressure of trading real money vs. fake?

I would caution you brushing aside the extra pressure part. That is the most important part of trading, the ability to hold up under pressure and make decisions rationally and qucikly without folding. If you can temper your emotions you are at a huge advantage. In my experience, trading fake money takes all that out of the equation. You can't care as much about fake money because it is just that. Fake. Maybe you can convince yourself it is the same or even 'pretend' that it is real money but I find very few people can treat it as such.

I mean, yes, you can learn quite a bit by paper trading and at the very least you can watch the markets and understand how the different products and platforms work. You might also get access to far more products than you would in a real account depending on how much money you have, etc.

 
cambaz:
I'm participating in Barron's Challenge, which is a virtual stock portfolio competition. They give you $100,000, you have to be fully invested, and you can not invest more than $10,000 in a single stock. There is about a month left till the 4-5 month competition is over. There are 1976 people competing and I'm currently in the top 20.

Would being in the top 1% carry any weight when I am applying for S&T jobs? Should I even mention it in my ibanking resume? Would the fact that I'm not in the top 10 make this work against me? Thanks

Of course it would look great when applying for a S/T job. Did you really have to ask?

 

Virtual portfolios are tricky in that they usually do not account for a liquidity factor in the trades. Of course it can't hurt you to put it onto a CV - it might even generate interest. Just be very ready to discuss it in details with your interviewers, especially in terms of the major differences between virtual and actual portfolio investing.

 

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