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October 14, 2015

Announcing the Winners of the Barclays Markets Insight Game – Round 1

We’re excited to announce the winners of the Barclays Markets Insight Game – Round 1.

The top winners are Nikita Fadeev and Louise Ellis in EMEA, Gordon Goh and Jun Hong in APAC, and Evandro Nadal and Brandon Wood in the US.

  • Nikita (@nikking) delivered a whopping 49.0% return during this period, driven by highly profitable bets in GLEN and AAL. Glencore has experienced dramatic volatility recently, as its trading operations and enormous debt load came under heavy scrutiny. Nikita skillfully navigated the turmoil, placing bets on both the long and short sides, ultimately leaping to the top of the EMEA leaderboard.

  • Gordon (@gohyongtsang) was up an equally impressive 48.6%, with gains from a range of positions such as GLEN, AAL, RIO, IAG, and SAB. Gordon is a well-rounded trader: not only did he capitalize on volatilities in the market to deliver an outstanding return, he is also a prolific writer, having contributed some of the best investment write-ups we’ve read.

  • Evandro (@Enadal123) was up 29%, driven by highly profitable bets on VXX and CMHT. Selling volatility is a popular carry strategy. Evandro executed the trade at a time of heightened market volatility and waited patiently to harvest the premium.

However, investment performance is not everything. Across capital markets positions, thought-leadership, discipline, and engagement have become far more important in today’s financial markets. Accordingly, Barclays has also awarded three winners based on “thoughtfulness.” Jun, Brandon, and Louise supported their trades with well-crafted commentaries, blending thoughtful analyses on fundamentals, technicals, valuation, as well as macro factors. Furthermore, they have demonstrated a range of positive behavioral attributes throughout the game.

Please join us in congratulating all the winners. The first round of the Barclays Markets Insight Game had participants from 70 countries and 800 universities, and claiming the top spots is no small feat! All the winners will meet with Barclays professionals in the coming days. In the meantime, Round 2 of the Barclays Markets Insight Game is under way and there are still ample opportunities to win!