Another surprise during the winter break! We’re publishing the 8^th Brainfinity problem, which means that during the winter break you no longer have a double chance to qualify for the Brainfinity 2021 Challenge; you have a triple chance to do so.

Many of you are familiar with the 8^th Brainfinity problem. The task is similar to the one you had in the fourth problem – trading on the stock exchange. Given that many children didn’t get to participate in the problem, we have decided to open the stock exchange once again.

For all the problem solvers who took part in the Fourth Brainfinity problem, the rules remain the same. For new problem solvers who are new to this problem that blends math, statistics, finance and digital literacy classes, the following applies:

• For a period of two months, your team becomes a team of financial consultants who receive an imaginary sum of $20,000 to trade on the stock exchange in the new Brainfinity game.
• Open a free account on the MarketWatch website. When you log in for the first time, enter your team name. Use the team email to sign in: https://register.marketwatch.com/register?mod=welcome
• You can access the Brainfinity stock exchange game using this link only. The password is: brainfinity21
• Your task is to buy and sell shares in order to manage your financial situation. Take into account that each transaction costs $3.
• The stock exchange is open each working day from 3:30 to 10 PM.
• You need to make at least 1% of profit in order to qualify for the Brainfinity Challenge or, if the price of shares drops, enter the top 20 teams.
• You have two months to trade on the stock exchange. The final day for trading is March 12.
• IMPORTANT: The money you have at your disposal in this game is not real.

The festive season is the perfect time for making wishes come true, right? After receiving messages from many students, parents and teachers who were delighted with our fourth Brainfinity problem and asked when they can participate again, we decided to open the stock exchange again.

“The children organized themselves and did everything on their own, both in and outside classes. They are creative, ambitious, and supportive, and enjoyed the stock exchange experience immensely. Team work is a winning combination, and I learned a lot from them”, says teacher Aleksandra Žižić who mentored the teams who solved our 4^th problem and adds: “I am delighted with this problem. The most important thing is that the students learned new things and had lots of fun”.

The outcome of the 4^th Brainfinity problem where the teams had the same task was unpredictable until the very end. A day before the stock exchange closed, two teams of fifth-graders were in joint first place, leaving the creator of the game Vladislav Radak in fifth place.

The teams made a huge profit, an achievement for which they would surely earn promotion in a real company.

However, we could see how unsteady the stock market was when, in an incredible twist just a day before the stock exchange closed, the team in third place won, leaving everyone else behind.

This is why we advise all teams to remain vigilant and keep following world events.

In order to participate in the eighth Brainfinity problem, please follow these steps:

1. Register your Brainfinity team here. The teams that are on this list are active participants and needn’t register again.
2. Use your team email to sign in to Market Watch and register your team for the eighth Brainfinity problem here.
3. Access the eighth Brainfinity problem here. The password is brainfinity21.
4. Trade on the stock exchange, have fun and learn new things.

The 8^th Brainfinity problem and your stock exchange assignment will end on Friday, March 12. Remember that in order to qualify for the next round, your team needs to make a 1% profit in this game or finish in the top 20 in case the price of shares drops.

Good luck to all teams!