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Marking the sixth year of participating in the 2018 Rotman International Trading Competition (RITC), a team of Desautels’ students took 1st place in the MATLAB Options Volatility Case. The team consisted of BCom students Matei Popescu, Jasmine Chi, and Percy Ahn; Masters of Management in Finance students Zacharie LeBlanc and Joanie Grimard; and PhD candidate Chengyu Zhang.

They were advised by Professors Sebastien Betermier and Patrick Augustin. Desautels finished 15th overall and the students were awarded $1,250 in total prize money.

The RITC is an annual three-day simulated market challenge in which 52 teams of students and faculty advisors convene from universities representing 11 different countries. Not only do the three days consist of intensive case cracking, they also include informative seminars and social events with fellow competitors and industry practitioners.

The MATLAB Options Volatility case is a relatively new case requiring algorithmic trading using MATLAB or Excel VBA. With the help of a fully automated and disciplined model, the Desautels team was able to maximize their trading strategy and win 1st place. The team went beyond the requirements of the case and proposed potential improvements to the model, which are going to be included next year.