CME Group Announces Winners of the 22nd Annual University Trading Challenge

Rhea-AI Summary

CME Group (NASDAQ: CME) announced the winners of its 22nd Annual University Trading Challenge on Dec. 11, 2025. Universidad de Monterrey won first place; other top-five finishers included University of Chicago (2nd), University of Illinois Chicago (3rd), Tecnológico de Monterrey (4th) and Universidad de Guadalajara (5th).

The four-week competition set a participation record with more than 615 teams comprising roughly 1,800 students from 25 countries and 174 universities. Students used CQG simulated trading with Dow Jones and Hightower Report market feeds; top teams received cash prizes where eligible and were invited to a one-day in-person market education event on Dec. 8, 2025.

Key Figures

Competition edition 22nd annual University Trading Challenge iteration

Teams 615 teams Participants in 2025 University Trading Challenge

Students 1,800 students Total student participants in the competition

Countries 25 countries Geographic reach of participating teams

Universities 174 universities Number of institutions represented

Top teams Top five Teams receiving cash prizes, if eligible

Event duration Four-week competition Length of University Trading Challenge

Education event date December 8 One-day in-person market education event

Market Reality Check

$272.40 Last Close

Volume Volume 1,707,550 is below the 20-day average of 2,062,888 (relative volume 0.83). normal

Technical Price 272.405 versus 200-day MA 270.3; MA trend flag: below.

Peers on Argus

While CME was down 1.4%, key peers like ICE (+1.21%), NDAQ (+1.78%), SPGI (+0.88%), MCO (+0.62%) and COIN (+0.79%) showed gains, pointing to stock-specific weakness rather than a sector move.

Historical Context

Date	Event	Sentiment	Move	Catalyst
Dec 02	Clearing approval	Positive	-0.5%	SEC approved new CME securities clearing house targeting U.S. Treasury mandate.
Dec 02	Sentiment index update	Positive	-0.5%	Purdue/CME Ag Economy Barometer rose with stronger future expectations readings.
Dec 02	Volume metrics	Positive	-0.5%	Second-highest monthly ADV at 33.1M contracts with broad asset-class strength.
Nov 24	Crypto volume record	Positive	+0.9%	Cryptocurrency complex hit all-time daily volume record across micro products.
Nov 24	Treasury record OI	Positive	+0.9%	U.S. Treasury futures and options open interest reached a record 35.1M contracts.

Pattern Detected

Recent operational and volume-related announcements have generally been positive, but price reaction has been mixed, with some strong derivatives and Treasury metrics coinciding with modest gains and others with small declines.

Recent Company History

Over the last few weeks, CME issued several operational and market-structure updates. On Nov 24, records in U.S. Treasury open interest and cryptocurrency volumes coincided with +0.95% moves. On Dec 2, SEC approval of CME Securities Clearing Inc. and strong November ADV of 33.1M contracts aligned with small declines of -0.54%. Today’s University Trading Challenge headline is educational and brand-focused, fitting alongside prior efforts to deepen engagement with market participants rather than shifting fundamentals.

Market Pulse Summary

This announcement spotlighted CME’s 22nd University Trading Challenge, with record participation of over 615 teams, 1,800 students, and 174 universities from 25 countries. It underscores CME’s focus on education and cultivating future users of its futures and options markets, rather than changing financial guidance. In context with recent record volumes and clearing developments, investors may watch how such educational efforts support long-term ecosystem depth, while monitoring future disclosures on trading activity, revenues, and regulatory developments.

Key Terms

futures contracts financial

"techniques for trading agriculture, energy, metals, equity indices, interest rates and foreign exchange futures contracts using CQG's"

A futures contract is an agreement to buy or sell a specific quantity of an asset at a set price on a predetermined future date. Investors use them to lock in prices or to bet on price moves; like agreeing today on the price of a loaf of bread you'll buy months from now to avoid surprise cost changes. Because these deals often require only a small upfront payment compared with the contract size, they can both protect against risk and magnify gains or losses.

options financial

"CME Institute education hub, which offers detailed courses, webinars and videos on trading futures on options markets, as well as a trading simulator."

Options are contracts that give investors the right to buy or sell an asset at a specific price within a certain time frame. They function like a reservation or a ticket that allows for potential profit or protection against price changes, making them useful tools for managing investment risks or speculating on market movements.

foreign exchange financial

"trade futures, options, cash and OTC markets, optimize portfolios, and analyze data – empowering market participants worldwide to efficiently manage risk"

Foreign exchange is the process of swapping one country's money for another’s, like exchanging dollars for euros when traveling. It matters because it determines how much your money is worth in another country, affecting prices, investments, and international trade. This system helps businesses and governments buy and sell across borders smoothly.

over-the-counter financial

"enables clients to trade futures, options, cash and OTC markets, optimize portfolios, and analyze data"

Over-the-counter describes securities or trades that occur directly between buyers and sellers rather than on a formal stock exchange. Think of it like buying at a flea market instead of a big supermarket: prices, rules and transparency can vary, which can mean lower liquidity, wider price swings and less regulatory oversight—factors investors watch because they affect ease of trading and risk level.

central counterparty clearing financial

"In addition, it operates one of the world's leading central counterparty clearing providers, CME Clearing."

A central counterparty clearing (CCP) is a specialized financial intermediary that sits between buyers and sellers of securities or derivatives, becoming the buyer to every seller and the seller to every buyer to guarantee trades are completed. Like an insurance-backed referee, it manages the risk of someone failing to pay by requiring collateral, pooling resources, and simplifying many trades into smaller net payments, which helps investors by lowering the chance of loss from a counterparty default and improving market stability and liquidity.

AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.

• Universidad de Monterrey won first place, with two others from outside the U.S. in the top five
• Record participation from over 615 teams across 25 countries 

CHICAGO, Dec. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- CME Group, the world's leading derivatives marketplace, today announced the winners of its 22^nd annual University Trading Challenge, led by Universidad de Monterrey in Mexico.

22nd Annual CME Group University Trading Challenge Winners
Team Position	University Name	Country
First Place	Universidad de Monterrey	Mexico
Second Place	University of Chicago	United States
Third Place	University of Illinois Chicago	United States
Fourth Place	Tecnológico de Monterrey	Mexico
Fifth Place	Universidad de Guadalajara	Mexico

This year's four-week competition reached a new participation record, with more than 615 teams of 1,800 students from 25 countries. Teams represented 174 universities around the world.

Students learned hands-on techniques for trading agriculture, energy, metals, equity indices, interest rates and foreign exchange futures contracts using CQG's real-time simulated electronic trading platform. Throughout the challenge, students also received live market updates through Dow Jones newsfeeds and The Hightower Report.

 "The University Trading Challenge offers a truly unique educational opportunity, giving the next generation of potential trading professionals the hands-on experience and skills needed for navigating futures markets in a fun, interactive and competitive environment," said Anita Liskey, CME Group Senior Managing Director of Global Brand Marketing and Communications. "We were so pleased to have record-breaking participation in this year's competition and congratulate the winning teams for their impressive achievements."

"Congratulations to all of the winners and participants in this year's University Trading Challenge," said Pat Kenny, SVP of Client Relations at CQG. "CQG remains committed to educating the next generation of derivatives traders. The competition offers students the unique opportunity to make trading decisions based on real-time CME Group data, CQG's analytics, commentary and real-time news feeds from Dow Jones, and executed with CQG's premier trade routing technology."

Students on the top five winning teams receive cash prizes, if eligible, and all participants from this year's trading challenge were invited to attend an exclusive one-day, in-person market education event on December 8.

CME Group provides a wide range of risk management education, including its CME Institute education hub, which offers detailed courses, webinars and videos on trading futures on options markets, as well as a trading simulator.

CME Group also partners with other industry organizations to offer educational tools, such as Futures Fundamentals, a one-stop educational resource to help learners of all levels understand futures markets and the role they play in everyday life.

As the world's leading derivatives marketplace, CME Group (www.cmegroup.com) enables clients to trade futures, options, cash and OTC markets, optimize portfolios, and analyze data – empowering market participants worldwide to efficiently manage risk and capture opportunities. CME Group exchanges offer the widest range of global benchmark products across all major asset classes based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, cryptocurrencies, energy, agricultural products and metals. The company offers futures and options on futures trading through the CME Globex platform, fixed income trading via BrokerTec and foreign exchange trading on the EBS platform. In addition, it operates one of the world's leading central counterparty clearing providers, CME Clearing. 

CME Group, the Globe logo, CME, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Globex, and E-mini are trademarks of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. CBOT and Chicago Board of Trade are trademarks of Board of Trade of the City of Chicago, Inc. NYMEX, New York Mercantile Exchange and ClearPort are trademarks of New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc. COMEX is a trademark of Commodity Exchange, Inc. BrokerTec is a trademark of BrokerTec Americas LLC and EBS is a trademark of EBS Group LTD. The S&P 500 Index is a product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC ("S&P DJI"). "S&P®", "S&P 500®", "SPY®", "SPX®", US 500 and The 500 are trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC; Dow Jones®, DJIA® and Dow Jones Industrial Average are service and/or trademarks of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. These trademarks have been licensed for use by Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. Futures contracts based on the S&P 500 Index are not sponsored, endorsed, marketed, or promoted by S&P DJI, and S&P DJI makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in such products. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 

CME-G

 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cme-group-announces-winners-of-the-22nd-annual-university-trading-challenge-302639675.html

SOURCE CME Group

FAQ

Who won the 22nd Annual University Trading Challenge announced by CME on Dec. 11, 2025?

Universidad de Monterrey won first place in the 22nd Annual University Trading Challenge.

How many teams and students participated in CME's 2025 University Trading Challenge (CME)?

The competition reached a record with more than 615 teams and roughly 1,800 students from 25 countries.

Which universities finished in the top five of CME's 2025 University Trading Challenge (CME)?

Top five: Universidad de Monterrey (1st), University of Chicago (2nd), University of Illinois Chicago (3rd), Tecnológico de Monterrey (4th), Universidad de Guadalajara (5th).

What trading tools and data did students use in the CME University Trading Challenge (CME) 2025?

Students used CQG's real-time simulated trading platform with market updates from Dow Jones and The Hightower Report.

Did CME offer prizes or follow-up events for participants in the 2025 University Trading Challenge (CME)?

Top five teams received cash prizes if eligible, and all participants were invited to a one-day in-person market education event on Dec. 8, 2025.

What educational resources does CME Group highlight alongside the University Trading Challenge (CME)?

CME Group referenced its CME Institute, a trading simulator, and educational tools like Futures Fundamentals for risk management education.