Sizzling finale today for Firefox and Van Man

May 29 2009 by Andrew Mernin, The Journal

TODAY they will take to the trading floor one last time, knowing that a fluctuation here or a stock price tumble there could be the difference between winning and losing.

Players of our online fantasy trading game have until the stock market closes this afternoon to make one last throw of the dice to boost the value of their portfolio.

In the three months since its launch, about 700 people have signed up to play Taking Stock and it has all boiled down to a two-horse race between a fox and a van.

As the doors swung open to the trading room floor, Firefox – who has proved a cunning trader throughout the game – stood at £876,899.

Meanwhile breathing down her neck was the White Van Man (WVM) with a portfolio worth £761,067.

It will take some doing for WVM, also known as John Bottomley, to trap his wily adversary, but anyone who has monitored his performance to date will know it is not beyond the realms of possibility. And Mr Bottomley, who runs Bathroom Studio Birtley on Durham Road when he’s not wheeling and dealing on the markets, remained upbeat this week.

The trader, who led the competition for some time before being overthrown by Firefox, admitted that work and personal commitments had seen him cut back his time spent on the game.

He also took time to look back at where mistakes had been made, as well as his most profitable trades.

“It’s been a case of concentrating on a few small amounts of shares with high volatility, which the banks have been, and scouring the internet for any news I could find on them.