Babson Trading Competition
Sponsored by Fidelity Investments
Welcome to the 15th Annual Babson Trading Competition!
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The competition is open to all current undergraduate and graduate students at Babson, Wellesley, and Olin Colleges. No trading experience is necessary. Please invite your classmates!
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The competition uses the Rotman Interactive Trader (RIT) software. If possible, I recommend trying the software before the competition. The software is available on the Cutler Center finance lab computers and can be installed on your own computer. To do so, download and install both the RIT Client and the Excel Real-Time Data (RTD) links (32-bit or 64-bit) found here.
You need to install the version of the Excel RTD links that matches your Excel version, not your operating system. Please read the installation instructions for more information. There will be computers available during the competition on a first-come first-serve basis for those without a Windows-based laptop.
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Once you have installed the software, I recommend reading the client software feature guide and watching this video:
This year's competition will be based on the liability trading cases (LT3 and LT4). The case descriptions can be found here:
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Additional documentation can be found here:
Real-Time Data Guide
Visual Basic Guide (advanced users only)
REST API Instructions (advanced users only)
Detailed REST API Documentation (advanced users only)
You can try the cases on the practice server beginning on November 5, 2025. On the RIT Client, set the server to be: 155.48.8.52 and the port to be 8443. ​​​​​​​​​Your username and password should not contain any spaces or special characters. You may need to create a new user each time you use the software. On the practice server, the case runs in a continuous loop with a short pause (20 seconds) between iterations. ​​​​​​
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The competition will be held on Wednesday, November 12, 2025 in the Cutler Center Finance Lab. The schedule is:
5:00 - 6:00 pm Software tutorial and practice iterations
6:00 - 6:45 pm Pizza and refreshments will be served outside the Cutler Center Finance Lab
6:45 - 7:15 pm Hear from special guests from Fidelity Investments
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Ken Martin, Co-Head Trader, US Sector
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Mettler Growney, Sector Trader
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Mahitha Valluru, Quantitative Trading Analyst
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Zach Haggerty, Sector Trader
7:15 - 7:45 pm Competition instructions and practice iterations for all participants
7:45 - 9:15 pm Trading competition
9:15 - 9:30 pm Awards presentation
It is not necessary to attend the software tutorial if you are already familiar with the software. All participants should arrive by 6:15pm to allow sufficient time to obtain their login ID and password. All Babson College students are asked to bring their laptops to the competition, as the number of Cutler Center computers is limited.
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No additional instruction will be given during the scored competition rounds. There will be eight rounds, with different parameters for each round (e.g., liquidity, volatility, price levels, number of securities, tender offer parameters). All iterations will have automated (API) trading enabled. The first four rounds will include a penalty for speculative trading. The practice server will cycle between the eight different sets of case parameters, generating random price paths each iteration.
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A description of the competition rounds can be found here.
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Scoring and prizes will be based on the consistency of your performance across the eight rounds. Traders will be ranked each round based on their overall P&L. Your overall rank will be based on your average rank across the eight rounds.
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An optional practice session and tutorial will be held on Monday, November 10th at 5pm in the Cutler Center. Register for the practice session here.
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Hope to see you there!
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