Overview
The ETF Challenge is a real-time arbitrage game. Eight ETFs trade next to their component stocks, and each ETF is fairly priced when it equals the total value of the two to four stocks inside it. Prices update every few seconds, so gaps keep opening: when the ETF drifts away from the sum of its stocks, one click buys the cheap side and sells the expensive side in a single package. You scan all eight ETFs, do the additions fast, and trade before the gap closes. Breaking news, tick size and optional bots change how big the gaps get and how long they survive.
Example: spotting one mispricing
Eight ETFs sit next to their constituent stocks, each with a live bid and ask. Every row is quoted independently, so the ETF regularly drifts away from the sum of its parts. Your job is to see it before anyone else and take both sides of the package.
Example animation
News
[2:36]
CHIP SECTOR: AI chip demand surges beyond all industry forecasts
Stocks by ETF
CHIP
Chip Leaders ETF
119.60
AMD
120.40
129.80131.40
NVDA
130.20132.00
169.50
TSM
170.50
TECH
Tech Giants ETF
189.70
AAPL
190.30
419.60
MSFT
420.40
ETF Prices
CHIP
Chip Leaders ETF
415.20
CHIP
416.80
TECH
Tech Giants ETF
609.10
TECH
610.90
Trading Panel
CHIP
Chip Leaders ETF
Sell ETF
Buy ETFBought!
TECH
Tech Giants ETF
Sell ETF
Buy ETF
Trade History
[2:38]
Bought CHIP @ 416.80
[1:58]
Sold TECH @ 609.10
[1:12]
Bought CHIP @ 415.90
Leaderboard
#1
You
27 trades
+$0.62+$4.32
#2
Alex (Bot)
19 trades
+$0.31
#3
Sam (Bot)
23 trades
-$0.18
Add the bids up yourself: 119.60 plus 129.80 plus 169.50 is 418.90, while CHIP is offered at 416.80. Buy ETF does both legs in one click and banks the 2.10 with no market risk.
This is a looping illustration of the game screen, not the live game.
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Game Phases
1
Read the board
Stocks are grouped under the ETF they belong to, and every row shows a bid and an ask. The ETF price row is aligned with its stocks so you can compare them side by side. The bid is what the market pays you, the ask is what it charges you.
2
Sum the stocks
An ETF is worth the total value of its component stocks. Add up the stock prices under each ETF and compare the sum to the ETF quote. Arbitrage exists whenever the ETF price differs from that total by more than the spreads.
3
Execute in one click
When the stock bids exceed the ETF ask, buy the ETF and simultaneously sell its stocks. When the ETF bid exceeds the stock asks, do the reverse. One click executes the full package at current prices and locks in the difference.
4
React to news
Breaking news moves both the ETF and its stocks, but one side overreacts randomly. That creates the largest mispricing in the game, and the gap closes gradually as prices adjust, so react to the news before it disappears.
Scoring
Edge
Each arbitrage locks in the gap
A correct package trade earns stock bids minus the ETF ask, or the ETF bid minus the stock asks. Small but frequent profits add up fast, so scan all eight ETFs constantly.
-Spread
No gap means a losing click
Every trade executes at live market prices. If the ETF and its stocks are in line, crossing the spreads costs you money, so calculate before you click.
News
News gaps pay the most
News events knock one side out of line by several percent, the biggest profit opportunity in the game. Speed matters because the gap decays every few seconds.
Bots
Bots hunt the same gaps
Optional bots detect the same arbitrage and their trades move the shared prices. More bots and faster reactions mean fewer gaps left for you.
Your score is your total P&L in dollars at the end of the game. Consistency beats one lucky trade: hunt every small arbitrage instead of waiting for the perfect one. The Top Scores boards rank on P&L and filter by the settings that change what is achievable, so duration, tick size, news events and bot count each define their own competition.
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