PLANTATION, Fla., March 29, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TradeStation Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:TRAD) announced today that the award-winning TradeStation trading platform has been selected for Penn State's Trading Strategy Competition. In the competition, which is being coordinated by the Penn State Smeal College of Business, individual students and teams will use the TradeStation electronic trading platform to create automated trading strategies for SPY, USO, and FXE. The TradeStation trading platform enables the students to create, back-test and optimize their automated trading strategies using TradeStation's proprietary database of historical market data. Competition results will be determined on the basis of the profitability of the students' automated trading strategies run using the TradeStation Simulator during the competition. The TradeStation Simulator makes it possible to test how strategies perform under "live" market conditions - with no financial risk whatsoever. The competition, which is open to students currently registered at any university, began on March 24, 2010, and will end April 14, 2010.
"TradeStation has always been focused on providing the intelligent, strategic, and intuitive trader with the tools he or she needs to become a more disciplined trader," said John Roberts, Chief Operating Officer of TradeStation Group. "We are proud to partner with Penn State and the Smeal College of Business."
Participants will compete for cash prizes and trophies awarded by PNC Bank and Market Technicians Association Educational Foundation. The first place winner will receive $500, the second place winner will receive $300 and the third place winner will receive $200. A trophy will also be awarded to the university with the highest score.
The TradeStation electronic trading platform has been part of the Smeal College's educational program since 2001 when the platform was first installed throughout its entire real-time trading room.
Additional universities interested in using TradeStation in real-time trading rooms or for other educational purposes may contact PublicRelations@TradeStation.com or may call 954-652-7401. Discounts are available for approved universities.
About TradeStation Group, Inc.
TradeStation Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:TRAD), through its principal operating subsidiary, TradeStation Securities, Inc., offers the TradeStation platform to the active trader and certain institutional trader markets. TradeStation is an electronic trading platform that offers state-of-the-art electronic order execution and enables clients to design, test, optimize, monitor and automate their own custom Equities, Options, Futures and Forex trading strategies.
TradeStation Securities, Inc. (Member NYSE, FINRA, SIPC, DTCC, OCC & NFA) is a licensed securities broker-dealer and a registered futures commission merchant, and also a member of the Boston Options Exchange, Chicago Board Options Exchange, Chicago Stock Exchange, International Securities Exchange and NASDAQ OMX. Its TradeStation Prime Services division, based in New York, seeks to provide prime brokerage services to small and mid-sized hedge funds and other firms. The company's technology subsidiary, TradeStation Technologies, Inc., develops and offers strategy trading software tools and subscription services. Its London-based subsidiary, TradeStation Europe Limited, an FSA-authorized brokerage firm, introduces UK and other European accounts to TradeStation Securities.