$5,000 Official UpDown 2009 Performance Contest Message Board

I feel incredible sorry for those who shorted AIG.

RE: I feel incredible sorry for those who shorted AIG.

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:33:20 EDT

i only wish i had some more shares of it...10k was not enough

RE: I feel incredible sorry for those who shorted AIG.

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:04:27 EDT

By VintageVince

why do u feel sorry for them? AIG didn't actually go up 20x, AIG consolidated (20->1)

RE: I feel incredible sorry for those who shorted AIG.

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:12:55 EDT

By red_red_sox

They better fix these ridiculus percent gains from today...

RE: I feel incredible sorry for those who shorted AIG.

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:07:22 EDT

By abugel

AIG is down 21% right now. Shorts win.

RE: I feel incredible sorry for those who shorted AIG.

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:32:52 EDT

aig is not down 21% where do u get that from?

RE: I feel incredible sorry for those who shorted AIG.

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:19:07 EDT

By abugel

Finance.google.com. Closed -22% today. Due to the reverse split, yesterday's price was retroactively revised to be about $23/share (or 20 shares, technically) and it closed today at $18.08. That comes to a 21%+ loss.

RE: I feel incredible sorry for those who shorted AIG.

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:22:04 EDT

By abugel

Good thing this is just paper trading :)

RE: I feel incredible sorry for those who shorted AIG.

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 09:15:16 EDT

By Smatzke

For some it is only paper trading. For some that have investments it is not.

Posted 7/10/2009 13:45PM

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:45:23 EDT

Updown?! I'm down by 465,750 when I should logically be up, but even worse I covered AIG and FAS yesterday, and sold FAZ, but they are still in my portfolio! If it isn't to much to please have a look at my account.

RE: Updown?! I'm down by 465,750 when I should lo...

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:47:37 EDT

I also bought C yesterday and it is not in my portfolio as it should be.

RE: Updown?! I'm down by 465,750 when I should lo...

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 19:17:39 EDT

By red_red_sox

Is the eighth person a mistake or are they really up that much today??? I'm guess it's FAS or FAZ causing the problem probably...

RE: Updown?! I'm down by 465,750 when I should lo...

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:10:10 EDT

well I fad a short on fas and thats what really meesed me up for the day (45%)

RE: Updown?! I'm down by 465,750 when I should lo...

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:10:26 EDT

had*

RE: Updown?! I'm down by 465,750 when I should lo...

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:43:45 EDT

Yes I shorted Fas and bought Faz BUT I had covered and sold them the other night and the trades didn't execute.

RE: Updown?! I'm down by 465,750 when I should lo...

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 11:50:01 EDT

By toughness

I too have had so many problems with my portfolio on this website. If they are going to run a contest, they should know how to run it correctly.

Posted 7/13/2009 10:16AM

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 10:16:44 EDT

What the heck?! I was up 51% before updown messed up why am I suddenly back to 35% after the good investments I made to get back up!

Posted 7/10/2009 13:31PM

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:31:56 EDT

Wow I am down 25,242 slots today (ouch!)

Posted 7/1/2009 10:51AM

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:51:22 EDT

Recent trading activity or market value adjustment in your UpDown account has caused buying power balance below $0.00. Please take the necessary steps to bring your buying power above $0.00. If this is not settled before 8am on 07/08/2009 or your buying power falls below -$25,000 before then, we will automatically close positions in your account to bring your buying power above $0.00. It SAYS THIS IS MY TRADING MESSAGE SCREEN, BUT NONE OF MY TRADES WILL EXECUTE!

Posted 6/26/2009 12:46PM

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:46:43 EDT

By elisawest

When I trade, usually there is this $100 commission. Is this a realistic value? Does anyone know?

RE: When I trade, usually there is this $100 comm...

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:38:48 EDT

By abugel

I have not heard of a commission in real life is $100 flat. It is either usually a lot lower mostly flat rate, or some kind of tiered/percentage system that is somewhat higher.

RE: When I trade, usually there is this $100 comm...

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:34:04 EDT

That's because you start with 1 mil, an unusual value as well. People often set their target as 1 mil.

Posted 6/22/2009 10:00AM

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 10:00:46 EDT

By abugel

Anyone else have the problem of no matter what you do your port goes down? I can buy low, sell high and/or short high, sell low and whatever amount I make it counts as negative. I can do the opposite (buy high and sell low, etc.), theoretically wiping my losses minus the commission, but it still goes down like it should if the site wasn't so screwy. Kind of screwing me royally..... And it just isn't my account, I can access another account (my boyfriend) and it does the same thing with his. :(

RE: Anyone else have the problem of no matter wha...

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 10:38:53 EDT

By abugel

Crap, new commission.

RE: Anyone else have the problem of no matter wha...

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:44:46 EDT

By bboyd

Try not trading so often. The trade fees really hurt you. Find a portfolio you like and stick with it for awhile. Best of Luck!

RE: Anyone else have the problem of no matter wha...

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:19:15 EDT

Certainly, this new measure is to curb active trading. However, the fact that there is no stop loss encourages active watching/trading. Alas, life is just so full of dichotomy.

RE: Anyone else have the problem of no matter wha...

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:39:07 EDT

By abugel

Yea, I figured it out. Thanks.

Posted 6/25/2009 9:44AM

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 09:44:15 EDT

By Alex72

Looking ahead, I can see that: Chrysler is no longer a N.American car manufacturer - it is a subsidiary of Fiat. GM will survive as long as the governments are willing to give it money. Some idiots will buy the products of a company run by bureaucrats, but not enough to make it profitable. That leaves Ford as the only viable N. American auto manufacturer. Ford also makes the best bang-for-the-buck pickup truck, and it owns that market segment. The rest of the market has been stolen by subsidiaries of offshore manufacturers, most of which enjoy much lower costs and thus can provide higher quality vehicles at an attractive price. So what does all this mean? To me, it says that provided Ford plays their cards correctly they are a shoo-in for the title of largest domestic manufacturer. In which case, their stock will take off. I am betting on Ford, how about you??

RE: Looking ahead, I can see that: Chrysler i...

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:02:41 EDT

YA I have to agree with you, I don't think that would be much of a surprise to anyone.

Posted 6/17/2009 11:43AM

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:43:12 EDT

Market getting more volatile these few days...

Posted 6/14/2009 4:47AM

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 04:47:22 EDT

By afanofsilvernblack

hi friends,this is the only rollercoaster w/o the triple loop,& no line,nice to meet ya'll,cotton candy&salt water taffy awaits,

Posted 6/1/2009 10:10AM

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 10:10:25 EDT

what happened to some of the big players?

RE: what happened to some of the big players?

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 17:10:36 EDT

Turtle probably out for cheating.

RE: what happened to some of the big players?

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:19:41 EDT

yap, today I cheated another 58% on 433 trades, while Frankie Buffino (username: fbuffino) up 50.8% on 1708 trades. Frankie is doing as well as Dan Cook (username: test57881) in the past. Dan dies, Frankie rises.

RE: what happened to some of the big players?

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 19:42:05 EDT

By abugel

Did you reset your portfolio?

RE: what happened to some of the big players?

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 22:46:13 EDT

somebody asked me what happens to all the money I made. I replied "As benevolent as Warren Buffett, I donate it to the 3rd world (countries)." Yes, I reset. I can't manage this humongous portfolio.

RE: what happened to some of the big players?

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:37:24 EDT

turtle when did u reset ur portfolio? because i would love to know the secret in making almost a million $ in one day...

RE: what happened to some of the big players?

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 13:19:31 EDT

let the secret remain secret :-).

RE: what happened to some of the big players?

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 20:37:49 EDT

By RASP

I have this syatem and for $49.95 i will tell you all about it..... LOL

RE: what happened to some of the big players?

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 20:38:28 EDT

By RASP

system ( i can't type)

RE: what happened to some of the big players?

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 03:02:35 EDT

For $49.95, you could win $500 or $1000, not bad. I'd charge $250 a head, and allow you to pass on to your friends - unlimited license by word of mouth only.

RE: what happened to some of the big players?

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 12:36:37 EDT

so there is a system...as in there is something u have that not everyone has...which from what i know about it is considered cheating...just figuring things out here

RE: what happened to some of the big players?

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 12:46:00 EDT

ask any wall street trader, who hasn't got a system? that's just a part of trading plan. Plan your trade, and trade your plan - such a clichÃ©! Any winner always has an edge over others.

RE: what happened to some of the big players?

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 09:06:36 EDT

its just that when i watched my friend do this like a year ago the biggest portfolios were always at like +70% maybe +100% but never much more...now unless u have around 400% or more u have no chance at even winning money...i just dont understand how u can posibly think that what ur doing is fair

RE: what happened to some of the big players?

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 09:24:54 EDT

well, if I can do it, why can't you? You just need a brain and two healthy hands. All these whiners repeat cheating cheating. I'm fed up.

RE: what happened to some of the big players?

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 09:49:06 EDT

because im trying to win this without manipulating the system...by investing and actually making the money the right way...

RE: what happened to some of the big players?

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 11:16:16 EDT

Bill Gates shot up to the top by understanding what needs to be done, not following a common path - that is thru high education, degrees, etc. You call him cheating? A college dropout is allowed to be successful? You go invest, but first learn how to count money.

RE: what happened to some of the big players?

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 11:37:28 EDT

if ur trying to pull an "end justifies the means" outlook on me then just forget about that. if bill gatess shot to the top by cheating then i will call him a cheater. idc how successful he is. and if what u r doing is not cheating and manipulating the system i will go back to what i said in the beginning and ask why u r not a millionare in real life?

RE: what happened to some of the big players?

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 12:41:21 EDT

I'm a street begger. What do you expect?

RE: what happened to some of the big players?

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 12:49:16 EDT

if you are good at logic, instead of math, then you pull "end justifies the accusation".

RE: what happened to some of the big players?

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 12:52:58 EDT

By rsachdeo

i feel like they are really smart and mucho talented in this system, but i think if they tried in real life their system wouldn't work as well with commission charges. still, it is really smart what they have done

RE: what happened to some of the big players?

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 13:30:26 EDT

That's a fair assessment. I said long time back this is a different environment. See it as a game. Given a system and a set of rules, you guys compete. Hopefully you learn something in the process. But if you are bent on learning, it's still a great system. Anybody who is already doing well in real trading has no need to be here, unless he/she likes to interact here, or think $500 can be easily gained. But if you think you can just buy a few biotech stocks and sleep for the prize, forget it. Out of 46,ooo people there are bound to be a few who are keen to work hard and work smart for this.

RE: what happened to some of the big players?

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 19:47:59 EDT

By rsachdeo

yeah, thats why i'm not here for the $$$ i'm just here to practice and see what kind of returns I can get. I don't think its wrong, as many people seem to think, for the website to serve two different types of clientele. It certainly isn't cheating simply because they are exploiting something anyone can do, not breaking into the system and manipulating it to their advantage.

RE: what happened to some of the big players?

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 09:55:27 EDT

ok this is the last thing im going to say. i understand that there is nothing i can do to figure out exactly whats going on. but i want to know how when u go up like .23% ina day it ends up being like 30% or more in ur contest gain but when i go up .8% or something it only adds .8% to my contest gain. just try explaining that to me please because im genuinely confused

RE: what happened to some of the big players?

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 13:34:18 EDT

By abugel

I have answered your question before. Look around.

RE: what happened to some of the big players?

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 12:12:12 EDT

yeah u answered it but it doesnt make sense still...because what u said is not applying to everyone

RE: what happened to some of the big players?

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:25:13 EDT

By abugel

Looks like UpDown is cleaning up some of the higher end portfolios that were perhaps in error.

RE: what happened to some of the big players?

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 18:40:00 EDT

I was wondering about the 400%/day rise. That had to be like 5 stocks all rose 400% at the same time. Well, could be possible. Nothing is impossible. Men go to the Moon, or to Mars in 100 years.

RE: what happened to some of the big players?

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 01:03:01 EDT

By abugel

There still seem to be 3 or 4 in the top 10 that may be there via an error. But seems like Updown is still working on it. Site is really slow and a lot of dead links.

Posted 6/5/2009 10:47AM

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 10:47:26 EDT

ok im sorry...dont tell me that all the people that shot up like 10,000% or more didnt cheat to do that...what the hell is going on here

RE: ok im sorry...dont tell me that all the peopl...

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 10:56:56 EDT

where r on this one turtle??

Posted 5/31/2009 19:04PM

Sun, 31 May 2009 19:04:01 EDT

WHOA! Why did you guys force a short covering on BKUNA at 49 cents? Thats total BS. When it finally reopens,,,it will be close to 0. So much for making updown 'like real trading'.

RE: WHOA! Why did you guys force a short coverin...

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 20:33:54 EDT

By RASP

it has to be listed on the stock exchange. same thing happened on $GM, it changed names and is not listed on the NYSE so it can't be traded here. same as real life. you can only buy what the broker has a seta for.

RE: WHOA! Why did you guys force a short coverin...

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 20:34:20 EDT

By RASP

(seat for) sorry LOL

Posted 5/28/2009 15:35PM

Thu, 28 May 2009 15:35:16 EDT

By pam4454

I am not quite sure how this contest works. Is the final tally of how much money and stocks you have the deciding factor on beating the S&p?

RE: I am not quite sure how this contest works. ...

Sat, 30 May 2009 07:32:13 EDT

By DofusMann

kinda. It's your total portfolio value at the end of the month compared to your total portfolio value at the end of the previous month which determines where you place in the contest

RE: I am not quite sure how this contest works. ...

Sat, 30 May 2009 07:32:55 EDT

By DofusMann

see the post below from abugel.

Posted 4/17/2009 9:23AM

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 09:23:13 EDT

By voskyc

Turtle, what do you think of Peter Andersen?

RE: Turtle, what do you think of Peter Andersen?

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 09:44:26 EDT

it's not good to talk behind his back. However, since he is free to see and comment, I'd go ahead and be polite to you. He is smart. First he uses his secret to win. Then he sits comfortably on the top and focuses on learning real trading. Certainly, should I cacth up to him one long day, he may just hurry up and go back to his brutal drill excercise.

RE: Turtle, what do you think of Peter Andersen?

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 12:56:02 EDT

By Hammy

How do you spend all day trading on this site? 3,630 trades this month is ridiculous.

RE: Turtle, what do you think of Peter Andersen?

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 20:57:03 EDT

why not? I'm a street bum with nothing to do anyway. I depend on $500 for food and shelter.

RE: Turtle, what do you think of Peter Andersen?

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 09:05:30 EDT

i dont see how pete does all of the trading that he does but hey if thats what he wants to do he has a right to do it.

RE: Turtle, what do you think of Peter Andersen?

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 09:05:30 EDT

i dont see how pete does all of the trading that he does but hey if thats what he wants to do he has a right to do it.

RE: Turtle, what do you think of Peter Andersen?

Thu, 07 May 2009 15:48:05 EDT

By voskyc

Why do you say is "back talking" as self say, he can read an write. I already message andersen and he does not replay me. So I ask you that you are (most time) the second in the contests) It is realy curious.

RE: Turtle, what do you think of Peter Andersen?

Thu, 07 May 2009 15:48:06 EDT

By voskyc

RE: Turtle, what do you think of Peter Andersen?

Sun, 10 May 2009 12:15:39 EDT

Curious about what? Or who?

RE: Turtle, what do you think of Peter Andersen?

Wed, 13 May 2009 20:57:18 EDT

By voskyc

It is curious how is possible to acchivie thta % of return Sorry if I miss some explanation, but as I have red, there is no bug, so it is a real trade extrategy. That is the curious.

RE: Turtle, what do you think of Peter Andersen?

Fri, 15 May 2009 10:49:01 EDT

hard work, agility, more important, ha ha, mucho tatento! You see, Frank Bianchini is mÃ¡s talento.

RE: Turtle, what do you think of Peter Andersen?

Fri, 15 May 2009 12:43:21 EDT

Vosky - All they do is trade in and out large blocks of financials for pennies all day. Maybe they use an automated program, or maybe they just sit there all day. Either way, it's not really talent, Updown has exploitable flaws in trade execution that allows them to make the high % gains relatively easily. This site executes trades based on real market prices, however there aren't limits on the number of shares that trade at each price. This let's people buy/sell say 150,000 shares of stock all at ONE price (when in the real market, maybe only 2,000 shares actually traded at that price). So, you can get really good trade fills that aren't comparable to the real market. Example: Make a large buy all at one price (say 150,000 at $5) the stock will typically fluctuate around that price. You can put a limit sell in a few cents higher than what you bought (say $5.07). That $.07 difference at 150,000 shares gets you over $10,000 profit. Repeat that all day and it adds up. As your account grows, you just make more per trade. Add in the fact that trades on updown have no effect on the trading price of the actual stock makes it an even easier trading environment (in the real market a large share block trades will likely move the stocks price, giving you less profit).

RE: Turtle, what do you think of Peter Andersen?

Sat, 16 May 2009 12:19:28 EDT

ok, mucho talento belongs to Aww Craig! Volsky, only hard work really counts - I don't suppose you believe talento stuff. I, or perhaps Frank for that matter, count on people not willing to put in a lot of work. Well, actually, I notice a few people are quietly catching up with increasing finger-tapping work. after all, anybody with mucho talento would have been mil'nair - or bil'nair, already! I believe Craig has, or is on the way to, this title.

RE: Turtle, what do you think of Peter Andersen?

Wed, 20 May 2009 19:36:05 EDT

Where do you come up with this stuff? You sound ridiculous.

RE: Turtle, what do you think of Peter Andersen?

Mon, 25 May 2009 08:59:26 EDT

By voskyc

Turtle, where are you from, you speak half spanish. With the explantion of Aww Craig I now got it. Well I think game will be more real if partial fills change its prices to real price in each fill, so the profit would ber more reals. Turtle, I believe "talento stuff" ¿?, although talento stuff is applying this in real world ;-).

RE: Turtle, what do you think of Peter Andersen?

Mon, 25 May 2009 11:02:20 EDT

Vosky, you are a serious man :-). Using Spanish or French is a just way to impress ladies in real life. I was being modest in saying I don't believe in talento. I'm a multi-talented person. I'm not only a winner here, I am a ballrom dance champion some years ago at my university. I won full scholarships to graguate and post graduate schools. And now I specialize in begging on the streets, quite successfully. While putting a penny jar in front of my feet, I read "Inside the investor's brain : the power of mind over money" by R. L. Peterson.

RE: Turtle, what do you think of Peter Andersen?

Thu, 28 May 2009 22:58:38 EDT

By voskyc

Haha, yes, I am kind a serious :-) but it is more that I not a native english speaker, and I find strange the way you write(I am not the only one, even some native find strage that way of writting). I don't even got which moment in the sentence you are kidding and which one are you being serious. Anyway, going back to this, do you use some php script? maybe this weekend I'm doing one, althoug I hope (preffer) updown change rules to make game more real). Remember that most use this site to practice for real world, even more I try to make a balance for a 5-10 dolar comission (instead of $100) so it is even more real for me. Good luck anyway.

RE: Turtle, what do you think of Peter Andersen?

Fri, 29 May 2009 09:53:27 EDT

scripts certainly would beat me. No, I don't use scripts. I try to use the smartest way to win. scripts can only do dumb stocks like C or AIG, not BAC or FAS. if you are here to practice, why try to win? Practice makes perfect, but winning doesn't makes practice perfect.

Posted 5/19/2009 11:02AM

Tue, 19 May 2009 11:02:23 EDT

are these people actually up thousands of %??

RE: are these people actually up thousands of %??

Wed, 20 May 2009 01:32:44 EDT

By toughness

No. These people cannot be up thousands of %. They have manipulated the system and the people running this game do not know how to catch them. In the other contest games I play on other websites, no one is up thousands of %.

RE: are these people actually up thousands of %??

Wed, 20 May 2009 11:35:57 EDT

so even pretending like i have a shot is pointless in this

RE: are these people actually up thousands of %??

Wed, 20 May 2009 16:11:45 EDT

By abugel

Why not? I am up 172%, spend about 30 minutes a day on average, and started in March. Multiply my returns by 13 to account for trading all day and then by 1.66 to account for not being in the game for the first 2 months and I'd get 3700%+.

RE: are these people actually up thousands of %??

Wed, 20 May 2009 17:38:25 EDT

Why pointless? if they can do it, why can't you? You just want an easy way out. If they can manipulate, why can't you manipulate? One must be smart enough to be manipulators.

RE: are these people actually up thousands of %??

Thu, 21 May 2009 09:17:38 EDT

there is a difference between manipulation and for lack of a better word "hacking"

RE: are these people actually up thousands of %??

Thu, 21 May 2009 13:06:51 EDT

I appreciate that. The fact is, we can neither manipulate nor hack into the UPdown system. We can only play within its bounds.

RE: are these people actually up thousands of %??

Tue, 26 May 2009 10:08:12 EDT

well then i really hope you are investing in real life because u should be a millionare...not just sitting on this to make a little money

RE: are these people actually up thousands of %??

Tue, 26 May 2009 10:44:42 EDT

that's not the issue. Don't dream I'd quit here voluntarily and let you win by default.

RE: are these people actually up thousands of %??

Tue, 26 May 2009 10:48:27 EDT

im not saying quit this..i just hope that this is a joke for you and ur making a lot of money in real life...you would be stupid nott o be investing for real if this is actually a legit percentage ur up

RE: are these people actually up thousands of %??

Tue, 26 May 2009 12:19:45 EDT

you know this is not the same as real, which means it is a different environment. Long time ago here, I already stated, those who do well here may not do well in the real world. This is the place I like. I sleep here.

RE: are these people actually up thousands of %??

Tue, 26 May 2009 12:22:19 EDT

I don't even care if the game is as real or not. I just enjoy playing a game. I searched the net "game" or "contest", I got here.

RE: are these people actually up thousands of %??

Wed, 27 May 2009 12:27:56 EDT

the only thing i dont understand is how the days change in your percent along with the other ones in the thousands changes by .XX% but the total change for the compettition is changing by 100's of percents...just an observation i made...care to let me know how that one happened?

RE: are these people actually up thousands of %??

Wed, 27 May 2009 14:39:44 EDT

that's simple math. Are you hi-schooler? College students should get this % compounding right. Ask your classmates!

RE: are these people actually up thousands of %??

Wed, 27 May 2009 18:15:46 EDT

By abugel

Nick, contest change is money made divided by how much you started with at the beginning of the contest while day's change is how money made divided by the amount at day's start (or last day's start when they update slower). Say you started this contest on 1-1-09 and had $1M, but your port is now at $5M at the beginning of today. You make $500,000 today and you'd have 50% contest increase, but only 10% day's increase. This helps inflate your numbers if you have a larger port, but in return the new rules limit large orders so it evens out. I suspect that that is how some people are high up if since many of the leaders are pre-new-rule players.

Posted 5/15/2009 14:36PM

Fri, 15 May 2009 14:36:51 EDT

By JBK

I just hate how I am not rewarded for steady over-performance.I am up 35% since last November, but I will always be passed by people that go up 6500% in a week. Thank god this is just virtual, because I have done a hell of a lot better in my real portfolio. (Hint, I bought SIRI at 0.07$). But my question is does anyone here invest in bio-tech? Bc traditionally I invest in financial, and trade leveraged ETF's, but Bio-tech has always gone over my head. Yes, I know about IBB, but I do this to gamble, and there isnt enough of a movement in that ETF for me to want to play it. Now if Direxion made a 3x bio-tech ETF's.... (***close my eyes and dream of a life with every security being able to trade with leverage***) Ahh.

RE: I just hate how I am not rewarded for steady ...

Sun, 17 May 2009 22:11:43 EDT

you call 35% over half a year over-performance? Compare to SPY 30% (and FAS 300%) over 2 months! If you'd bot FAS March 9 and sold March 18, you'd have $100 easily in your pocket, without doing too much!

Posted 5/14/2009 17:14PM

Thu, 14 May 2009 17:14:41 EDT

By sarda

what do you think about obama smile???

Posted 5/4/2009 16:28PM

Mon, 04 May 2009 16:28:35 EDT

By fqayyum2

how are people up a few hundred to a couple thousand percent? why haven't you guys invested in real life and bought the internet yet?

RE: how are people up a few hundred to a couple t...

Mon, 04 May 2009 20:37:12 EDT

By abugel

Real life has risk.

RE: how are people up a few hundred to a couple t...

Wed, 06 May 2009 15:31:15 EDT

By tsingle

i don't think those earnings are accurate, there has to have been a mistake such as a bug or something.

RE: how are people up a few hundred to a couple t...

Sun, 10 May 2009 12:31:18 EDT

tshingle, you are partly right. Not accurate as opposed to the real mkt. But probably accurate within the boundary of Updown. As I said before, those do well here do not necessarily do well in the real mkt. The fact that I figured out a way in doing well in Updown is partly why I do Updown, not the real mkt. Ooops, that's supposed to be my privacy. Whether it's Updown's bug or design, nobody really knows. But suppose it's a bug, can you use the bug "consistently" to your advantage? That takes talent as well. For this talent, a prize is warranted, ha ha ... Now, look at the real mkt. You could also say that many crazy stocks are crazy because of some anomaly (let's term the anomaly a "bug"). If you could exploit the bug to win huge real profit. You are called a genuis, not a bug exploiter.

RE: how are people up a few hundred to a couple t...

Mon, 11 May 2009 20:15:23 EDT

Your comparison of updown bugs vs the real market is garbage. "many crazy stocks are crazy," insightful... "because of some anomaly" oooooh.

RE: how are people up a few hundred to a couple t...

Tue, 12 May 2009 10:36:50 EDT

causes for anomaly and bug may be different, but the perception may be comparable. Certainly, if it's garbage, please be environmentally firendly: re-use or at least recycle. Nothing on earth is really garbage - it's amatter of perception.

Posted 4/29/2009 16:13PM

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 16:13:42 EDT

By tatersplease

At one time an exploit existed which allowed a trader to sell something twice. This was recent. Bugs in a program are like cockroaches. If you see one, you can bet you have lots more. Woof!

RE: At one time an exploit existed which allowed ...

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 20:59:19 EDT

The question is, are you able to do so consistently? An isolated incident like this due to a bug probably has little effect on one's long term success. Plus, it might not be a bug. It could just be an internet relay problem. With a real money broker, I encountered even bigger problems costing 100's $ a shot. The broker would have to reconcile manually., or, simply blame me for the incident. An equal advantage perceived as "unfair" might happen with a stock too. DNDN, for example, dropped from $24 to $8 yesterday, and then reverted to $27 today. Someone lucky enough to catch such a move could easily end up with a windfall. Whatever happens, it's the fault of the user - so called cheater.

RE: At one time an exploit existed which allowed ...

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 21:01:44 EDT

erratum "it's the fault of " ==> "it's not the fault of "

RE: At one time an exploit existed which allowed ...

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 01:38:14 EDT

By abugel

I sold something (FAS or UYG) 3 or 4 times a long time ago when the internet was seeming slow and I just impatiently pushed the button, but that was a fluke and was fixed.

RE: At one time an exploit existed which allowed ...

Tue, 05 May 2009 13:38:47 EDT

What happened that cost you $100's a shot with your broker? And...what does the price action in a biotech stock have to do with trading bugs on this site?

Posted 4/23/2009 16:59PM

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 16:59:09 EDT

By ceciliathomas73

hi all i'm new at this game but one way to get your stocks up is to call a local brocker and get advice on where certain stocks are going. also some brokers can or will give you little hints on how to get different values to pop up there.

RE: hi all i'm new at this game but one way to ge...

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 21:00:24 EDT

finally I get some valuable tip. Merci.

RE: hi all i'm new at this game but one way to ge...

Fri, 01 May 2009 14:09:22 EDT

By markusinvst

Yah because brocker's (broker) know everything so just forget researching your stocks just call your local brocker (broker) and ask them what stocks will have the best gains for the week. im sure you will double your portfolio in no time.

RE: hi all i'm new at this game but one way to ge...

Fri, 01 May 2009 14:52:15 EDT

if I get a problem doubling my bank account, I'll just blame it on Cecilia.

Posted 4/13/2009 23:20PM

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 23:20:57 EDT

By tatersplease

I am "Dog Tired" of cheaters. Woof!

RE: I am "Dog Tired" of cheaters. Woof!

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:38:41 EDT

By voskyc

Could you elaborate the cheat please? Thanks

RE: I am "Dog Tired" of cheaters. Woof!

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 09:08:25 EDT

yes what do you mean be cheating. there is no way to "cheat" on updown everything is real time and it not possiable to change the values or anything so what do you mean by cheating?

Posted 4/13/2009 13:10PM

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:10:22 EDT

By rack88

Pete may just be playing Citigroup and AIG like a fox.

RE: Pete may just be playing Citigroup and AIG li...

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:58:35 EDT

By pcjcusa1

the slightly more realistic fill rules might slow these hot-shots down a little bit. or they might not, lol.

RE: Pete may just be playing Citigroup and AIG li...

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:35:09 EDT

certainly. But these "hot-shots" might just discover new ways to combat new rules :-). Admittedly, the % rise will be less astronomical as the rules approach closer to the real nasty market. The bottom line is, everybody has a chance - an equal chance, to be a hot-shot!

Posted 4/13/2009 22:31PM

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 22:31:11 EDT

By KaiChen

How the heck did all these people gain over 1000% in one day, thats impossible to do, even if all the stocks you bought doubled!!! No way they couldv'e all beat Pete.

RE: How the heck did all these people gain over 1...

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 01:54:31 EDT

By abugel

UpDown problem, or market overall - who knows, with some iShares prices. Apparently a million bucks can get you 5 shares now.... should be fixed tomorrow. Curious that only 5 people on all of UpDown hold that particular iShare ETF...

RE: How the heck did all these people gain over 1...

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:39:26 EDT

By voskyc

I don understand, what do you mean that a million can get you 5 shares? What are IShares prices? Thanks

RE: How the heck did all these people gain over 1...

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:21:59 EDT

By abugel

It was a problem with the numbers - fixed now. Basically there was an iShares ETF that cost $200K erroneously.

Posted 4/13/2009 15:45PM

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:45:24 EDT

By Davidtulsa82

Updown pay your bills, you owe me $100 from the last game brokeazz MFs

Posted 4/10/2009 10:15AM

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 10:15:36 EDT

By krnpsychopath

Pete has a secret...

Posted 4/2/2009 14:08PM

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 14:08:50 EDT

By SorrelKing

I think Peter Anderson is doing some sorta exploit cause if you check his transactions he's selling and buying 'C' over and over and over like every 2 minutes, I dunno if it's allowed or not but ah well.

RE: I think Peter Anderson is doing some sorta ex...

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 14:58:53 EDT

if you find a winning strategy, you should use it again and again consistently. That's exactly what any investor or trader is advised to do by "experts". Certainly, paper trading has its own limitations. You can't really simulate the real world. But, hey, the game rule is the same for everybody. That's only fair. I actually feel those who simply buy a stock, and if that stock happens to shoot to the sky, and then he collects money - undeserving. That's luck. Well, again, if the rule is fair, then he deserves the win. I admire those who methodically buy a few times - not too often, and take profit. Then do it again, take profit, consistently. That's hard. It takes real insight. But, hey, we don't compete for insight, we compete for % gain using whatever ways allowed within the game.

RE: I think Peter Anderson is doing some sorta ex...

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:35:25 EDT

By Ryan24

i love kittties

Posted 4/1/2009 10:14AM

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 10:14:42 EDT

By willblew

Pete Andersen = super stock nerd who always wins.

RE: Pete Andersen = super stock nerd who always wins.

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 14:32:36 EDT

He wastes all day trading for pennies on a papertrading website to earn $500 a month. Great investment...(say 5hrs a day for 20 trading days a month = $5/hr) With the updated execution prices he can't do that anymore, but anyone able to catch up to him for this contest doesn't seem too likely.

Posted 4/2/2009 19:05PM

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 19:05:13 EDT

By SorrelKing

Ah right sorry for the misunderstanding

Posted 4/2/2009 15:38PM

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 15:38:13 EDT

By ibi

Nope, he has $31,000,000 in his account. 20% of that is $6,000,000. He just keeps buying 'C' low and selling it high, over and over. I can't tell you how he got to $31,000,000 but since he's there it all easy sailing. He makes $22,000 about for every $0.01 that 'C' goes up.

Posted 3/17/2009 21:18PM

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 21:18:49 EDT

By GoldenBoi

Bac is reliable

Posted 3/10/2009 15:58PM

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:58:17 EDT

By peki41

Today's unbelieveable surge: Is this the beginning of recovery?

RE: Today's unbelieveable surge: Is this the begi...

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 16:21:23 EDT

By Ryan24

RE: Today's unbelieveable surge: Is this the begi...

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:06:00 EDT

By peki41

Wow what a roller coaster day at the market

RE: Today's unbelieveable surge: Is this the begi...

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 17:40:08 EDT

By blmiggy143

Probably not. Just a great day that was worth waiting for!!!

RE: Today's unbelieveable surge: Is this the begi...

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:49:16 EDT

By peki41

I think I was/am right. =]

Posted 3/16/2009 14:24PM

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:24:49 EDT

By MCruz20

Don't worry, be happy!!

RE: Don't worry, be happy!!

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 15:12:43 EDT

By Adi2185

shut up

Posted 3/12/2009 14:48PM

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:48:25 EDT

By Chillier

yes up 10 404 slots

Posted 3/11/2009 21:14PM

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 21:14:34 EDT

By PeteB

One day in the ER. I don't know what hurts more. Down 2857 slots. OUCH!!

Posted 3/2/2009 14:43PM

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 14:43:30 EST

I'll be the first to say it. Something is seriously wrong. y'all need to check my account. I'll cash out and let you correct it. I suggest you do the same with everyone else.

RE: I'll be the first to say it. Something is se...

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 14:51:01 EST

well Im trying to cash out of everything. I'm not allowed to because of low volume. What is happening is that when you click on the sell button it goes back to your portfolio page and it looks like it has never executed so you go and try to sell it again and the same thing happens. Well.....if it doesnt look like the transaction went through you try to do it over and over. finally they all went through at the same time. I want to win this contest like everyone else, but I don't want it given to me. Let me know if you would like any more information about what happened. I'll answer the questions to the best of my ability.

RE: I'll be the first to say it. Something is se...

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 14:54:14 EST

I would like it fixed though so I can make trades using only the correct $ amount that is supposed to be in my port.

RE: I'll be the first to say it. Something is se...

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 16:10:30 EST

deal with it man,,happens all the time on updown. They cant correct every portfolio in a day. SO yeah,,bottomline,,,it sucks when it happens to you. Take it from someone that has alot of unexplained "errors" here. Makes ya believe in conspiracy theories! jk

RE: I'll be the first to say it. Something is se...

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 17:16:21 EST

I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't unjustly rewarded with huge gains. Yeah....I want to win......I just want it to be fair.

RE: I'll be the first to say it. Something is se...

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 15:05:39 EDT

By aa2zr

Yeah it happened to me awhile back. This time it's true. Up over 3000 slots so far.

Posted 3/9/2009 15:03PM

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 15:03:42 EDT

By aa2zr

STEM and GERN spiked over the weekend. Put a stop loss on it then and woohoo!!

Posted 3/2/2009 15:09PM

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:09:22 EST

Thanks for the fix.....At least I got my 5 minutes of fame while I was in like a pseudo-first place type of thing. Plan to see me back there....legitimately.

RE: Thanks for the fix.....At least I got my 5 mi...

Sun, 08 Mar 2009 00:27:33 EST

By robincam

get a life its not fair wha wha wha.

Posted 3/5/2009 10:43AM

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 10:43:42 EST

By dh99136751

How the heck do I make a trade in this contest/site??? Help doesn't say, FAQ doesn't say, there are no marked buttons. One of three - my eyes are going bad faster than before, I'm just confused, or the site is REALLY poorly organized. I'd really like to try using Up Down, any instructions (helpful ones on topic) would be appreciated.

RE: How the heck do I make a trade in this contes...

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:26:14 EST

By jranft

Hi. You can go to your portfolio under MyUpdown and choose the "trade" tab. Here is a shortcut for trading. http://www.updown.com/trade-stock

Posted 3/5/2009 10:39AM

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 10:39:09 EST

By dh99136751

Posted 3/2/2009 11:34AM

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 11:34:14 EST

By Adi2185

that's nice 4,230% returns in one day.

Posted 1/16/2009 17:05PM

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:05:39 EST

By Time2Invest

in the awards breakdown * 201 - 5,000 place winners: $0.50 * 1,001 - 5,000 place winners: $0.10 just thought i'd bring it to your attention

RE: in the awards breakdown * 201 - 5,000 ...

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 10:14:56 EST

Since this hasn't been fixed yet...

RE: in the awards breakdown * 201 - 5,000 ...

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 22:27:43 EST

By madoff

I got one cent...lol

RE: in the awards breakdown * 201 - 5,000 ...

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 08:39:01 EST

ME TOO!!!!!!! LOL!!!!!:-)

RE: in the awards breakdown * 201 - 5,000 ...

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 02:56:13 EST

By Time2Invest

let's just see if a whole month can go by.....

RE: in the awards breakdown * 201 - 5,000 ...

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 12:50:06 EST

By dkhiggs

I actually sent email about this and the response was "Thank you, we've fixed it now." It is fixed on other contests, just not THIS one. If you're in the 1,001 to 5,000 range do you collect both the $0.50 AND the $0.10? Sweet!

RE: in the awards breakdown * 201 - 5,000 ...

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 14:45:58 EST

By zk3116

its still wrong. i would bet that you collect .50 from 201-1000 and .10 from 1001-5000. someone tell them to fix it.

Posted 2/22/2009 10:40AM

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 10:40:47 EST

By shpitz76

i know a great site that has much more cash earning prizes and tournaments when trading virtual stocks: www.umoo.com everybody who is in for virtual trading must check it out... its wonderful!!

Posted 1/19/2009 22:22PM

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 22:22:14 EST

By null

007, figure out a flaw in the game?

RE: 007, figure out a flaw in the game?

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 08:38:39 EST

Yes,theres an obvious flaw

RE: 007, figure out a flaw in the game?

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 13:02:59 EST

By jislas08

which is what might i ask?

RE: 007, figure out a flaw in the game?

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:18:37 EST

You guys asking what the 'flaw' is,,,PRICELESS ! LMAO!

RE: 007, figure out a flaw in the game?

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 22:32:25 EST

By madoff

Flaw? Maybe....good calls? Yes.If you started back in 2007 and played the market down, that would have been the call.Was that the flaw?

Posted 1/21/2009 22:36PM

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 22:36:00 EST

By outlaw

Could this happen in 2 month? Gold goes up to $875 and start drop below $700. http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj112/kimmichaelp/mikegold-1.jpg The S&P 500 rally one last time before making a new low. http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj112/kimmichaelp/Mike-3.jpg

RE: Could this happen in 2 month? Gold goes up...

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 17:31:50 EST

By null

gold will crash this year or next. <500

RE: Could this happen in 2 month? Gold goes up...

Sun, 01 Feb 2009 21:20:50 EST

By tahoeskier24

doubtful

RE: Could this happen in 2 month? Gold goes up...

Sun, 01 Feb 2009 21:20:51 EST

By tahoeskier24

doubtful

Posted 1/14/2009 13:57PM

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:57:45 EST

By Utopius

Supposedly UpDown members are automatically joined into the contest on January 1, so why did I have to manually sign up? So I lose all credit for being up a few percent this year to date?

RE: Supposedly UpDown members are automatically j...

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 14:52:25 EST

By jranft

This is a bug we're hoping to have fixed today. All members will be entered.

RE: Supposedly UpDown members are automatically j...

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:52:22 EST

jran,,,Pokeytax is right,,for the annual contest you shouldve started everyone at a 0 point. On the monthly contests,,,,will you guys continue to reward failure? That is...allow this percentage scam to continue for those well below the $1 million starting point? Noone in the real world gets paid to lose money, you guys shouldnt reward failure either.

RE: Supposedly UpDown members are automatically j...

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 08:47:16 EST

I'll take your no reply as a yes. I figured as much.

RE: Supposedly UpDown members are automatically j...

Sun, 18 Jan 2009 16:11:45 EST

john thain was given 83 million for failing.........and asked for a 10 million xmas bonus

RE: Supposedly UpDown members are automatically j...

Sun, 18 Jan 2009 16:19:54 EST

Why can't updown only join ppl in the comps at or ABOVE A MILLION......Just give us a reason why you don't do that......dont tell me the magority of the members are below a million???......Also please give a ratio to members above a million compared to those below...or give a percent...Your Updown King and undisputed--007wall-street

RE: Supposedly UpDown members are automatically j...

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 15:18:50 EST

Congrats on being king of the hill @ $54 mill 007,,,,Not easy to do,,thats for damn sure. Yeah I hear ya about Thain,,,,some d ickheads do get rewarded for failure,,,,but he was a CEO,,and as such was in a position to give himself a golden parachute,,,just like the as sholes in DC.

RE: Supposedly UpDown members are automatically j...

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 15:48:30 EST

People can reset now so the ratio is probably meaningless. Why anyone would reset when low portfolio value is a huge advantage, I dunno. Please standardize the volume rules! Now that contests operate on a percentage basis, there's no reason for a $2m player to have different constraints from a $200k player. When you have players intentionally destroying their data in order to compete fairly, there's a problem.

RE: Supposedly UpDown members are automatically j...

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 19:22:45 EST

LOL

RE: Supposedly UpDown members are automatically j...

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:24:48 EST

Still would like to know how many of the members are below a million...maybe your right,it probably is meaningless...Updown probably wants it easier for new comers to the site to make money,and hopefully gain more members..........................thus sell out the top members. 007wall-street

RE: Supposedly UpDown members are automatically j...

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 09:00:18 EST

By blackbelt

fast forwarding through the leader board, 2973 people are at 0% or greater gain.. so quick math means that 78% of people on the site are BELOW $1M.. yeah even updown portfolios are having a hard time beating the market. (hint hint: shorts!)

RE: Supposedly UpDown members are automatically j...

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 12:58:29 EST

78%.....out of 100,000 members

RE: Supposedly UpDown members are automatically j...

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 20:30:20 EST

I'll also geus,only 27% of the 100,000 members are active on the site

RE: Supposedly UpDown members are automatically j...

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:12:25 EST

By Ignea_unda

And where would you come up with 27%? No necessarily a number that goes with anything that has been discussed... As for the percentages, if they lock them at 1 mil, then anyone over 1 mil has a an advantage similar to the one that the people under a million have now...

RE: Supposedly UpDown members are automatically j...

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 13:19:51 EST

27%-ish of members are entered in the contest, ergo 27% of members have signed in this year. As for percentages: my top conviction stock 1/1/09 was CRYP. It's up 118% this year. I was able to buy 4240 shares 12/4/08, for $9,640, or 0.48% of my portfolio. Everyone should be able to invest 0.48% (or whatever, as long as it's equal) of their portfolio in CRYP. How does this advantage 007 over anyone?

Posted 1/15/2009 15:12PM

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 15:12:44 EST

By Trang

hey there, I never use paypal before and updown pay you thru paypal. Can someone tell me how does that work? is the money updown pay thru paypal is real money and how can i actually use that money (i just created a paypal account) - Thanks

RE: hey there, I never use paypal before and u...

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 17:55:10 EST

By theoneinvestor

If you account paypal to a checking out you can directly withdraw. You will have to do a account verification via paypal website when it guides you thru on signup. Alternately u can use paypal to pay for stuff on the online market place of many vendors.

Posted 1/20/2009 15:28PM

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:28:37 EST

By Mahdi Cashville

I can't believe I'm #3.... yahoooooooooooooooooo

RE: I can't believe I'm #3.... yahoooooooooooooooooo

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 12:58:44 EST

Congrats

Posted 1/15/2009 20:42PM

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 20:42:26 EST

By kpgv

My Two Cents: That I don't have any "real" money on the line "here", as I do in my "real" accounts, and since the benevolent host "here" doesn't send me a monthly bill to play, I must say that the opportunity to "experiment" with zero "real" risk "here", and that there is a "real" cash plumb hanging out "here" is GREAT. Where else can you learn about "slip" and such with out "real" risk? Trailing stops would be nice, but....Thanks to those who make this happen. KPGV

Posted 1/14/2009 15:37PM

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 15:37:19 EST

By zoom1999

do we get paid at they end of the year or is this a bonus evrey month?

RE: do we get paid at they end of the year or is ...

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 08:00:37 EST

This is a full-year contest. The monthly contests pay every month.

Posted 1/14/2009 11:09AM

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 11:09:03 EST

By jranft

Good luck everybody in this year-long contest.

RE: Good luck everybody in this year-long contest.

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 12:23:32 EST

By isabellshum1210

We have less prize than we used to have??? I have $100 as the first 20 in the quarter contest Now i have only $100 as the top 10? well thats a big leap backwards...

RE: Good luck everybody in this year-long contest.

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 14:42:32 EST

The quarterly student contest was $10,000, and it didn't pay anyone below 50th at all, or bother with the $1 and less piddly payments. The payouts are indeed really disappointing. It's good that they're a little smoother and flatter than the monthly payouts, but $5,000 for an annual contest? We were told not to worry and that the long-term payouts would not put us at an advantage, and now there's $36,000 in monthly payouts, plus an indeterminate amount in quarterly payouts, versus $5,000 in annual payouts?

RE: Good luck everybody in this year-long contest.

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 14:51:21 EST

By jranft

We actually always had monthly earnings, but not in a contest format. We used a complex formula that required users to be above their their overall previous high in order to earn money at all for the month. Many users requested an easier to understand monthly earnings system, and also one gave one a fresh start each month, so we created monthly contests. Thanks for the feedback, and keep it coming.

RE: Good luck everybody in this year-long contest.

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 14:54:35 EST

By jranft

We will also fix the contest so the start date is January 1, so you don't miss out on the great performance at the start of the year.

RE: Good luck everybody in this year-long contest.

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 15:58:21 EST