By simulating the actions that investors take when placing orders through a broker, the Investopedia Simulator is made to help anyone learn the mechanics of buying and selling securities without taking any risks. When a user opens or closes positions, the Investopedia Simulator will keep track of the value of their portfolio. Through Simulator games, users can also compare results to those of other practicing investors.
Key Takeaways
- The Investopedia Simulator is a virtual trading tool made to help people who want to invest and trade better.
- It has powerful tools for research and simulated trade order placement.
- It closely monitors the value of investing positions in real-time.
- Users of the simulator can take part in games in which they compare their own investment results to those of other players.
Getting Started
To access the Simulator, click “Get Started” to create an account. A username, password, and email are all that are required for the free account.
In order to purchase virtual shares that track in the same manner as real shares, a new account’s default virtual balance is $100,000. Exploring the user interface and utilizing the Stocks and Crypto functions of the Investopedia Simulator are all that are required to gain an understanding of its operation. Your Portfolio is brought to users’ attention. Users can toggle between two options in the top right.
Stocks Simulator
Stocks Simulator’s four functional areas can be found within the Stocks interface: games, trade, portfolio, and research
- Portfolio: Using data from the market, list the positions held by users and their current value.
- Trade: allows users to view price quotes and place orders in the same way that a real broker would.
- Research: enables users to examine price charts and company data for the stocks that are available for simulated trading.
- Games: Simulated investing competitions can be joined by users or they can start their own.
How to Trade and What to Trade
Investors Can Look at a Company’s Business Statements Before Buying Stock With a long-term investment strategy, investors can use this fundamental analysis to invest in a stock. Other investors feel at ease just looking at price charts and doing technical stock analysis.
Users can get assistance from the research section of the Investopedia Simulator by clicking on one of the ticker symbols that are displayed on the research page. Users can specify one or more characteristics of companies they wish to investigate using the included stock screener. Users can carry out their orders by selecting the trade tab. Users specify the ticker symbol or the underlying stock of the option contracts they wish to trade, in addition to whether they are trading stocks or options.
The stock’s current market price can be examined by users. Examples of trading include: buying to cover, selling, shorting, or buying. With margin trading, this functionality is identical on retail broker accounts. However, only the three most prevalent retail broker account order types are available: limit, market, or stop orders Data that is 20 minutes late is used by the Simulator.
Using the Simulator in a Group
The Investopedia Simulator lets friends, coworkers, and students compete in investing contests. These games are simple to set up and play thanks to the features of the Simulator. For a wider range of experiences, stock and option trades can be included in the challenge.
The Investopedia Trading Game is the simulator’s default starting contest, making it suitable for use by friends, family, students, and others. However, users can join any of the thousands of open, ongoing public games. Search for games in the Join Game section of the Games section. Members can join multiple games at the same time.
Create a Stock Trading Game
Create a Stock Trading Game To begin, select Games, followed by Create Game. There are optional features in each game that make the Simulator experience feel more real. Tooltips are displayed all over the form. For a more in-depth explanation of the purpose of each field, users can select one of the following options by clicking the small blue “i” next to each word:
- Game Title: Make it something special and memorable for the group.
Description of Game: What information about the game’s purpose and objectives should the group have? - Game Format: Is there a membership requirement for the game, or can anyone join?
Beginning Money: Everyone starts with $100,000 by default, but users can increase or decrease it to anywhere from $1,000 to $1 million. - Date Reach: When exactly will the game start and end?
- Feature differences: Will the group be able to trade options, trade on margin, and short sell? Are members able to view one another’s portfolios?
- Rules of the Game: Market delay, commissions, forced diversification, minimum pricing, quick sell restrictions, margin rules, and other factors can all be set by users.
Select Game Creation. A password is required for private games. The group should be given instructions by the leader that include the game’s name, password, and other details like the date range and starting cash. Check the Games Leaderboard to see how the group is doing.
Do you offer classes on how to trade stocks?
Yes. Classes can be taken at the university level or through companies like Udemy. When using a stock simulator, a high-quality online stock trading course works well together.
Are Other Stock Trading Simulators Available?
Although Investopedia is one of the best options available, it is not the only platform for paper trading. Thinkorswim is available from Charles Schwab, and The Stock Market Game is available from the SIFMA Foundation.
What Does It Mean to Trade Papers?
A paper trading platform is a simulated stock trading platform. An imitation trade known as a “paper trade” enables investors to practice buying and selling financial assets without placing any real risk. They are an excellent method for evaluating a novel investment strategy and gaining an understanding of the financial markets.
The Bottom Line
Interested investors of all experience levels can use the Investopedia Simulator to practice their trading skills. It is possible for users to compete with other users, view the value of investing positions, and have access to research tools.
