Biggest Winner FAQ

About The Competition

Does the Competition award prizes?

Yes. The Competition intends to award the following real cash prizes:

  • Top Investor Prize.There will be one (1) Top Investor Prize available of CDN $10,000 cash for the registrant with the highest account value at the end of the Competition’s trading period.

Runner-up Prize. There will be one (1) Runner-up prize of CDN $5,000 cash for the registrant with the second-highest account value at the end of the Competition’s trading period.
Weekly Prizes. There will be six (6) Weekly Prizes available to be won during the Competition’s trading period, each consisting of CDN $1000 cash. Weekly Prizes will be awarded to the registrant with the largest percentage gain over a week in their simulated account.

  • Weekly Draw. There will be 6 Weekly Prize Draws (each a “Weekly Prize”) available to be won during the Trading Period, each consisting of CDN$100.00 Amazon Gift Card. Weekly Prize Draw will be determined on Monday morning before the market open by random draw. Players must have placed at least three trades during the prior week in order to be eligible.

These prizes will be awarded subject to certain conditions and restrictions. For more details, please refer to the Competition Rules here and Terms and Conditions here.

What is the “Horizons ETFs Biggest Winner Trading Competition”?

The Horizons ETFs Biggest Winner Trading Competition (the “Competition”) is a web-based simulated investment challenge designed to help educate the investing public in trading exchange traded funds (ETFs). Registered participants may open a fantasy brokerage account, which receives CDN $100,000 in notional fantasy funds (no actual money will be involved). Registrants can use these notional fantasy funds to make simulated purchases and sales of the ETFs listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange at market prices. For more details, please refer to the Competition Rules here and Terms and Conditions here.

The Competition is co-sponsored by Horizons ETFs Management (Canada) Inc. and its affiliates, National Bank Direct Brokerage, a wholly-owned subsidiary of National Bank of Canada, and Stock-Trak Group, Inc.

When does this challenge start and end?

The Competition’s trading period starts at 9:30 a.m. ET on May 15, 2023, and ends at 4:00 p.m. ET on June 23, 2023.

Who is eligible to participate in the Competition?

Anyone can use the Biggest Winner site to learn about ETFs through our simulated trading platform. It is also free to use.

In order to be eligible to participate in the 6-week Competition phase of the Biggest Winner, an individual must:

  • be a legal resident of Canada;
  • be of the age of majority in his/her province or territory of residence, or older, at the time of entry;
  • not be an employee of the Competition’s sponsors, their respective subsidiaries, related companies, advertising and promotional agencies, or a member of the household of any of the above; and
  • not enter the Competition, directly or indirectly, more than once.

Certain other requirements, terms and conditions apply and are described in the Competition Rules here and Terms and Conditions here.

Account Registration

Can I register for the Competition at any time?

Eligible contestants can register any time from April 10, 2023 up to the end of the competition. For more details, please refer to the Competition Rules here and Terms and Conditions here.

Can I register more than one account?

No. Individuals who register or control more than one account, directly or indirectly, will be disqualified. For more details, please refer to the Competition Rules here and Terms and Conditions here.

How can I change my password?

Log into your account and select the “Change Password” option under the “Dashboard” tab. Enter your old password, then enter a new password and confirm the new password. Your password will be changed when you click on “Submit”. Note: usernames and passwords are case-sensitive.

How can I change my username?

You can change your username by going to the “Edit Profile” page under “Dashboard” on the main menu.

I forgot my password and/or username. How can I log in?

On the “Login” page of the Competition’s website, click on “Forgot Password?”. Enter the email address you used to register for the Competition. Your username and a password reset link will be emailed to this address.

ETF Basics

How do I decide which ETF to buy or sell?

Investors should always conduct their own research before buying or selling an investment. The respective ETF company website contains extensive information on each of the individual ETFs available for this Competition. To learn more, financial media outlets can also be a source of valuable information.

What is an ETF?

“ETF” stands for exchange traded fund. Like mutual funds, ETFs invest in an underlying basket of assets, such as stocks, bonds, currencies, options or commodity futures. Unlike mutual funds, however, ETFs trade on the stock exchange like ordinary shares. This means that pricing is transparent and ETF shares can be bought and sold throughout the regular trading day on the stock exchange.

What kinds of ETFs can I trade in this Competition?

Almost any ETF listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange can be bought or sold in this Competition.
The most common type of ETF is an index ETF. Index ETFs seek to track the performance of broad or widely followed market indices, such as the S&P/TSX 60™ Index in Canada or the S&P 500® Index in the U.S.
Horizons ETFs offers many index ETFs, including sector, industry and country specific index ETFs. Horizons ETFs also offers commodity, currency, leveraged, inverse, volatility and actively managed ETFs. These are all available for simulated trading in this Competition.

Trading Basics and Order Types

Are there any transaction limits?

Registrants may invest a maximum of 25% of their initial account value (CDN $25,000 of fantasy funds) in any one ETF.

Can I place orders after the market has closed?

Yes, you can place an order in this Competition after the stock market has closed. Your order will take effect when the market next re-opens (e.g., the next trading day).

Do we get real-time or delayed pricing?

All orders are executed at the real-time bid/ask prices during market hours. Due to Toronto Stock Exchange regulations, the Competition’s website will display price estimates delayed by 15-20 minutes.

How can I cancel an order?

You may only cancel open orders. To see your open orders and to cancel any of them, click on “My Order History” in the “Make a Trade” tab’s sub-menu. Open orders that can be canceled will appear in YELLOW font.

How can I look up an ETF’s ticker symbol?

To place a simulated trade, you will need to know the ETF’s ticker symbol. ETF ticker symbols can be found on the “Symbol Lookup” page, located under the “Make a Trade” tab.

How do I make a trade?

To make a simulated trade, open the “Make a Trade” tab. Enter the ETF’s ticker symbol and the number of units you would like to trade. Then choose “buy” or “sell”. Once you have reviewed your order, press the confirmation button to complete the trade. Note: this Competition does not allow simulated short selling, even though in an actual trading environment it may be possible for you to short sell any ETF, subject to the conditions and restrictions of your brokerage and the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Is there a notional brokerage commission charged?

A CDN $0.00 notional brokerage commission in fantasy funds is applied to each individual trade, regardless of the number of units transacted in that particular trade.

What is a “bid” or “ask” price?

The stock exchanges provide the valuable service of bringing together all of the buyers and the sellers of ETFs each day and matching the buyers and sellers that agree on a price. The exchanges keep track of all of the open orders and show the highest buy order price, known as the “bid” price. They show the lowest sell order price as the “ask” price.

The simulated buy orders you place in this Competition will get filled at the prevailing ask price at the time your trade is placed, and your sell orders will get filled at the bid price.

What is a Limit Order?

A limit order is an order to buy or sell a security at a specific price or better (known as the “limit price”). If the market price of an ETF reaches the limit price of a limit order placed in this Competition, the order will be filled at the limit price. Limit orders may be placed as “Day” orders, which are good until the close of the current trading day only, or as “GTC” orders, which are good until canceled.

What is a Market Order?

A market order for an ETF is an order to buy or sell a specified number of units at the best available price when the order is submitted. All orders that don’t bear a specific price are considered market orders.

Market orders placed while the market is closed will be executed at the bid/ask price when the market opens.

What is a Stop Order?

A stop order is an order to sell an ETF at a specific price (known as the “stop price”). If the market price falls to the stop price, the stop order becomes a market order and is executed.

Sell stop orders are used by investors who own (are “long”) an ETF and wish to protect an existing profit or avoid losses if the ETF market price drops. A sell stop order must be placed below the current market price.

Stop orders may be placed as “Day” orders, which are good until the close of the current trading day only, or as “GTC” orders, which are good until canceled.

Example: You hold 1,000 units of the Horizons S&P/TSX 60™ Index ETF (HXT) and the ETF’s current market price is $20 per unit. If you wanted to sell your units of HXT should their market price rise to $22 per unit, you could place a limit sell order at $22. If you wanted to sell your units of HXT should their market price drop to $18 per unit, you could place a stop sell order at $18.

What is an Open Order?

An open order is a market order that has been placed but not yet filled, or a limit/stop order that has been placed but not yet executed because the market price has not met the limit/stop price. For this Competition, all orders are either market orders or GTC orders.

When is the stock market open?

The Toronto Stock Exchange has trading hours of 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, Monday to Friday, with the exception of the stock market holidays. A list of stock market holidays may be found on the exchange’s website at: https://www.tmxmoney.com/en/investor_tools/market_hours.html

Any order placed in this Competition when the Toronto Stock Exchange is closed will be executed when the market next reopens for business.

Where can I see all my open positions?

Under the “My Portfolio” tab’s sub-menu, click on “Open Positions” to see all your current simulated holdings.

Where can I see how many trades I have left?

You can see the number of simulated trades you have remaining on the “Account Balances” page located on the “My Portfolio” tab’s sub-menu.

Trading Restrictions

Can I obtain more trades if I run out?

No. Once you have used up all your allowed simulated trades, you cannot obtain more trades. The maximum number of trades allowed for the Competition is 5,000.

Can I short sell an ETF?

While you may be able to short sell an ETF in an actual trading environment, subject to the conditions and restrictions of your brokerage and the stock exchange, this Competition does not allow simulated short selling. However, Horizons ETFs offers a number of inverse ETFs which may be used in this Competition. Inverse ETFs seek to track the inverse performance of an index or underlying asset.

Is buying on margin permitted?

Buying on margin is not permitted in this Competition. However, Horizons ETFs offers a number of leveraged ETFs which may be used in this Competition. Many Horizons leveraged ETFs seek to track two times (2x) the performance of an index or underlying asset.

What counts as a trade?

Every simulated purchase or sale transaction you make is considered a trade. Dividends, stock splits and other corporate actions experienced by the ETFs you hold during the Competition do not count as trades.

What is day trading and is it allowed?

Day trading is when you buy and sell the same ETF on the same day. Keep in mind that frequent trading will generate additional notional commissions in fantasy funds and that you are limited to a certain number of trades in this Competition. Day trading is allowed.

Trading Problems

I don’t agree with the price at which my order was filled. How can I dispute a trade?

You must have the order confirmation number when disputing a trade. The order confirmation number can be obtained from the “Order History” page and is also shown on the “Trade Confirmation” page after placing a trade.

Note: If you believe an error has been made in your account, you must report it within one (1) week to the Simulation Support Services team. A contact form is available here. Stock-Trak Group will investigate and adjust any valid discrepancy. Discrepancies reported after one (1) week may or may not be adjusted in Stock-Trak Group’s sole discretion. All decisions of Stock-Trak Group will be final.

I placed an order, but I can’t find it in my list of open positions. Why not?

To see the status of any order, check the “My Order History” page. There are several reasons why you may not be able to see your order on the “Open Positions” page, including:

  1. Order not yet filled. If you placed a market order outside regular trading hours, your order will become effective when the stock market reopens.
  2. Order not yet executed. Limit and Stop orders are not executed until the market price meets the price specified in the order.
Why can’t I place an order?

There are several rules which may prevent your order from being executed or filled:

  1. The Competition has not yet started. Please check the “Account Balance” page for the exact trading dates.
  2. Transaction Limits. You may have exceeded the maximum number of trades allowed for the Competition (5,000). You may also have exceeded your limit for one ETF. You may not hold more than 25% of your portfolio’s initial notional value in one ETF (i.e., no more than $25,000 in fantasy funds may be invested in one ETF).
  3. Insufficient Buying Power. You have insufficient fantasy funds available.

Keeping Track of your Portfolio and Ranking

Are the rankings updated in real-time?

Yes, the rankings are updated based on market prices throughout the trading day.

How do I keep track of my portfolio and its ranking in the Competition?

You can monitor your account’s positions and its current performance ranking in the Competition relative to all other registrants from the “Dashboard” page located on the right side of the page.

To see your ranking, click on “My Ranking” in the “My Portfolio” tab’s sub-menu. Registrants’ rankings on this page are unofficial and registrants showing the highest ranking may not be actual winners.

Why I am not being displayed in the rankings?

In order to be displayed in the rankings, you must have placed a trade.