Singapore – 3 July 2008: Macquarie Capital Securities (Singapore) Pte. Limited (“Macquarie”), Singapore’s largest warrant issuer, announced today the launch of the 2008 Warrant Hotshot Trading contest, with a grand prize of $20,000 to the competition winner.
The contest is aimed at educating investors about the warrants market, with participants competing for the Grand Prize of $20,000. Entrants can sign up to one of four categories; Remisiers and Dealers, Private Investors, Media or Students. The winner from each category will receive $3,000, while a weekly cash prize of $200 will go to the top person in each category at the end of each week.
Mr Barnaby Matthews, Head of Derivatives at Macquarie said: ‘The aim of the Macquarie Warrant Hotshot contest is to increase investors’ understanding of warrants and to improve their trading skills. It is also a great opportunity for new investors to gain experience in warrants without risking any capital’.
The 2007 grand prize winner, Madam Chua Chwee Keok, a retired housewife had no previous experience in warrants trading outperformed everyone, including many market professionals. ‘This demonstrates that you don’t have to be an expert to trade warrants successfully,’ said Mr Matthews.
This year, the Singapore Exchange (“SGX”) is also on board. According to Mr Chew Sutat, SGX Executive Vice President and Head of Market Development: ‘Investor education remains one of our key focus areas in growing the demand for warrants and sophistication of our warrants market. We are pleased to partner Macquarie to offer this simulated online trading competition, which provides investors with hands-on experience in warrants trading. This complements the range of initiatives led by both SGX and issuers in developing the warrants market’.
Contest participants start with a hypothetical cash amount of $100,000 and are able to trade Macquarie Bank Limited issued warrants in a simulated trading environment that mirrors the real SGX warrants market.
The contest commences 14 July 2008, will run for eight weeks and is free to enter. Macquarie will be running free weekly seminars to educate investors throughout the competition. Participants can sign up via www.warrants.com.sg
Singapore Warrants Market – Issuer Market Share for 12 months ending 30 June 2008
About Macquarie Group Limited and its related corporations (“Macquarie Group”)
Macquarie Group is a diversified international provider of financial, advisory and investment management services.
Macquarie Group is recognised as one of the largest product providers to private banks across Asia and provides a range of products to meet the tailored requirements of clients.
Macquarie Group has built a solid reputation as one of Asia’s premier Warrants issuers and is the biggest issuer of warrants by market share in Singapore. Year ending 30 June 2008, Macquarie Group had 41% market share of the volume traded on the Singapore Warrants market.
Macquarie Group takes a leading role in educating retail investors about how to invest in warrants. Macquarie Group runs regular seminars, operates a free-call warrants telephone number and distributes a free, daily e newsletter that contains the most up to date market information. Macquarie Group is also the only warrant issuer to offer free Live Warrant pricing via the website.