A stock market simulation is a computerized stock market model that allows users to test their investment strategies. The simulations can be used to assess an investment’s potential profitability and determine the best time to buy or sell stocks.
There are several stock market simulations available online. Some of these simulations are free, while others require a subscription. The simulations vary in complexity, but all of them allow users to test their investment strategies.
Stock Market Games
Imagine being in this situation. You are discussing the stock market with a group of people, and one person chimes into the conversation, stating they played a stock market game or “stock market simulation.” The conversation inevitably ends with this person explaining how they made hundreds of thousands of dollars playing trading stocks.
It is nice to hear people explaining how they earned their untold fantasy riches in the stock market. Still, unfortunately, it hides the underlying false premises of stock market games.
If you are new to the stock market or have been trading for a while, you must understand the pros and cons of stock market games.
Stock Market Games or Paper Trading, What are they?
Paper trading or stock market games refer to the same thing – the act of simulating trading for a period to practice and develop your investing skills. Stock Market Games have an advantage over simple paper trading because they will track your stocks automatically and provide a summary of profits/losses and other relevant details. However, both have some misleading consequences compared to trading real money.
Pros
Some benefits of stock market games will help beginners improve their skills. For example, learning the terminology of stock trade execution and performing executions can be achieved through stock market simulations.
Understanding Terminology:
- Stock Price – getting used to the meaning of Stock Price – Open / High/ Low / Close / Last.
- Stock Entry Strategies – implementing Market Orders / Limit Orders
- Stop Loss Strategies – implementing different stop loss mechanisms to allow you to experiment with Stop Limit Orders / Stop Market Orders / Trailing Stops.
- Execution of Stock Orders & Automation of Orders
Using and understanding order execution logic enables you to upfront implement your buying logic for later automatic execution using approaches such as:
- One Cancels Another (OCA)
- One Triggers / One Cancels Another (OT/OCA)
- One Triggers Another (OTA)
- One Triggers Two (OTT)
Practicing Portfolio Management – how to distribute your investments amongst different stocks
- More stocks equal diversification but might lower overall returns.
- Fewer stocks equal potentially more risk but more reward.
Cons
A sandbox environment for trading lets people get to grips with executing trades. Still, they lend little to education unless combined with an actual education course. Thus, stock market games are a practical alternative to learning how to execute trades. But learning to make wise investment decisions is a completely different ball game.
The Timing Effect
A stock market game will start at a particular time and date. Imagine you choose to run a game for four weeks, coinciding with a strong bull run on the markets. The only question for the game’s outcome would be who makes the most money.
Trading the stock market for real is different because there is no start or end date. Timing is critical in determining whether you profit or lose in the long term.
Consequently, staying out of the market OR going short when the market is declining is just as important as going long when the market is improving. This is not considered in paper trading or stock market games.
The Randomness of Winning
Suppose the competitors have had no real education about stock selection/fundamentals or technical analysis before the trading game begins. In that case, market fluctuations may randomly choose the winner because the trading choices are uneducated. For example, if you put ten monkeys in a room and ask them to throw darts at a page of the Financial Times and then place the trades where the darts hit, then one monkey will win. Does that make this monkey a good stock investor?
Did that monkey consciously decide to buy that stock based on any methodology other than his throwing arm’s muscle reflexes? No! Therefore, the results have little meaning. The author, by no means, condones or encourages monkeys and darts or any combination thereof for stock-picking strategies or any purposes.
The “No Risk” Effect
If you are paper trading, you are not “putting your money where your mouth is” or, in effect, taking any risk. So, if you want to win a stock market game or even a trading competition where you are paper trading rather than trading real money, then your very best option for gaining a place on the winning podium is to do the following.
- Choose the most volatile stock.
- Estimate where you believe the stock market direction is heading and market sentiment.
- Place as much money as possible on the volatile stock by buying as much leverage (margin).
- Hope the stock moves in your direction
OR
- Choose the most volatile stock.
- Estimate where you believe the stock market direction is heading and market sentiment.
- Using Options to leverage the trade (buying a Call or selling a Put for the stock to go up / or buying a Put or selling a Call for the stock to go down)
- Hope the stock moves in your direction
You will either get on the podium or crash into an explosive ball of flames. Cataclysmic is probably too strong a word; after all, there is no risk and no real money on the line, is there?
The Emotional Effect
Trading stocks for real means you get emotionally involved with what you are doing. Emotions are not always negative in the stock market. Having a healthy attachment to your money means you will be attentive in checking your stocks, planning for future price moves, and, generally, devoting enough time to managing your fund along the chosen lines.
Being overly emotional or emotionally attached to a particular stock can negatively affect your irrational decisions. Whichever way you look at it, emotions play a part in stock market investing. The only thing that creates emotions in the stock market is laying your money on the line. We know that mastering your emotions is one of the criteria for being a successful trader, so paper trading does not bring out that emotion or encourage you to be as diligent as you would be when trading. A whole different side to trading develops in your mind when you place that first real trade. Fear, greed, panic, and excitement exist only in the real trade and not in the stock market game.
Stock Backtesting is Better Than Playing Games
Backtesting is a crucial tool for any serious trader. It involves testing trading strategies on historical data to see how they would have performed in the past. This way, traders can make informed decisions about their current and future trades based on statistical evidence rather than emotional reactions.
Playing stock market games may seem like a fun way to learn about trading, but it lacks the depth and accuracy of backtesting. In these games, your actions have no real consequences, as the money being used is not real. As a result, you may be more inclined to take unnecessary risks or not consider important factors while making trading decisions.
On the other hand, backtesting allows traders to analyze their strategies in a controlled environment with historical data that reflects real market action.
Stock Market Games – Good or Bad?
Stock market simulation and games are great for school children, but you need to graduate to realistic simulation and backtesting software to develop winning trading strategies.
Stock market games are often used as a fun way for beginners to learn about trading. They can be found on various websites or even as board games. These games allow users to buy and sell stocks with virtual money, giving them a taste of what it’s like to invest in the stock market without any real financial risk.
While these games may be entertaining and educational for beginners, they lack the depth and accuracy for serious traders. This is because there are no real consequences for your actions in these games – the money used is not real. As a result, players may take unnecessary risks or ignore important factors while making trading decisions.
Tip: Try Paper Trading & Test Your Skills With TradingView
It would be best if you never used stock Market Games to convince yourself that:
- You have a great approach to the market.
- You are an expert trader.
- Your education is complete.
- You will make any money in the stock market for real.
The best approach
I would seriously recommend the following course of action for you to take before investing in the stock market.
- Get Educated – with a professional stock market education.
- Start Trading with real money, but only a small amount at first – never more than you can afford to lose.
- Once you have a grasp of trading, work to define a system.
- Backtest the system – execute it.
- Continually improve the system.
- Continually educate yourself.
Successful stock traders all have one thing in common: they develop a winning system based on their knowledge and test and execute it. They then seek to improve it continually. They do not trade like dart-throwing monkeys, and neither should you.
Summary
Now you understand the core concepts of trading in the stock market. You know it is important to understand what moves the stock market and assess market direction. You also understand market breadth and sentiment.
You also understand how many stocks you should own, how long you should hold a stock, and the advantages and disadvantages of stock market games.