Stevens School of Business High Frequency Trading Competition Applications Now Open

Stevens has been a recognized leader using technology to shift how businesses operate. In 2025, students from around the country will have the opportunity to see that SHIFT in action.

The Stevens School of Business finance department is holding its annual High Frequency Trading Competition that uses the SHIFT high frequency simulation platform created by Dr. Ionut Florescu, director of the financial technology and analytics program at Stevens. SHIFT is a platform designed to realistically simulate how modern high-speed financial markets operate, providing investors, market makers, exchange managers, and regulators with a valuable tool to test scenarios and strategies in a lifelike environment before applying them in real-world markets.

Another shift is in the works for 2025. Usually open only to Stevens students, the upcoming edition is inviting applications from teams of undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in any accredited university in the United States.

“We are working on a lot of important developments in the area of financial engineering at Stevens, and this is a great way to showcase what we’re doing,” Florescu said. “This competition gives students the chance to improve their coding skills and get a better understanding of how financial markets work by using their creativity and ability to innovate.”

To apply, must be a domestic undergraduate or graduate student currently enrolled in any university located within the U.S. They can be pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in any subject, but some members of the team must be familiar with Python programming and Github. Each team must be between 2-4 members.

The winner of the competition receives a $2,000 prize. Second-place receives $1,200, and the third-place team will earn $400.

Applications must be received by February 1, 2025, and teams will be notified of their status by February 15. If selected, there is a $100 per team non-refundable registration fee. There is a mandatory information session schedule for March 3, and teams will be able to test the technology from March 7-10 before competition trading begins on March 24. Trading concludes on April 25.

The winner will be determined through a “Formula 1”-esque scoring system. The competition is divided into five stages with increasing point totals awarded for each portion. In each stage, teams are given a set of parameters to create their algorithms and on Friday, they’ll be put to the test on the SHIFT platform. Points will be awarded based on how each team finishes compared to the other participants.

“We introduced the stages last year, and it was very successful,” Florescu said. “Like a lot of other competitions, we used to use a total profit and loss which could affect a team’s effort and performance as we get closer to the end. This model encourages the teams to continue to improve. Teams will receive more points for winning a later stage as an incentive to continue to improve their algorithm’s performance.”

For additional information, please contact [email protected].