Horizons ETFs and National Bank Direct Brokerage Announce the Champion of the 'Biggest Winner 9' Trading Competition

TORONTO, July 8, 2019 /CNW/ - Horizons ETFs Management (Canada) Inc. ("Horizons ETFs") and National Bank Direct Brokerage ("NBDB") are pleased to announce that John Wayne Trinh from Saint-Leonard, Quebec is the grand prize winner of the Horizons ETFs Biggest Winner 9 Trading Competition (the "Competition"). With the highest six-week cumulative return of 18.88%, Mr. Trinh has been awarded the grand prize of $7,500.

"I am extremely happy and grateful," said Mr. Trinh, upon learning of his success.

The Competition, which ran from May 6 to June 14, 2019, had more than 2,600 registrants ­? the highest number since the Biggest Winner 1 Contest. Contestants were provided with a fantasy brokerage account, beginning with a balance of $100,000 in notional Canadian dollars. Competitors used these fantasy funds to place simulated trades among approximately 700 ETFs listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

"The S&P 500 and other market indexes were following a downward trend in May," said Mr. Trinh, when asked about his winning strategy. "Since the market was bearish, I decided to be bullish on gold and silver (precious metals) and bearish on oil. In order to generate profits in a short amount of time, I invested in the Horizons BetaPro ETF family." Mr.Trinh added.

Nigel Roberts, from Kelowna, British Columbia, won $2,500 for having the second-highest six-week cumulative return of 18.20%. In addition, six weekly prizes of $500 were awarded to each of those who achieved the best single-week returns.

The top-traded ETFs in the contest are all managed by Horizons ETFs. The three most-traded ETFs are a part of the Horizons' BetaPro family of tactical ETFs: the BetaPro Crude Oil 2x Daily Bull ETF ("HOU") and its corresponding leveraged inverse ETF ? the BetaPro Crude Oil -2X Daily Bear ETF ("HOD"). HOD seeks daily investment results, before fees and other costs, that endeavor to correspond to two times (200%) the inverse (opposite) of the daily performance of the Solactive Light Sweet Crude Oil Front Month MD Rolling Futures Index ER. HOU seeks daily investment results, before fees and other costs, to two times (200%) the daily performance of the Solactive Light Sweet Crude Oil Front Month MD Rolling Futures Index ER.

The third most-traded ETF was the BetaPro S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures^tm ETF ("HUV"). HUV is designed to provide investment results, before fees, expenses, distributions, brokerage commissions and other transaction costs, that endeavour to correspond to the performance of the S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures Index^tm.

"During this competition, participants could choose to invest in virtually any ETF listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The very high use of our ETFs among contestants highlights the tremendous potential that the Horizons suite of ETFs offers investors in helping them reach their investment objectives," said Steve Hawkins, President and CEO of Horizons ETFs.

NBDB has been the exclusive sponsor of the Biggest Winner Competition for the past eight editions.

"National Bank Direct Brokerage would like to congratulate John Wayne Trinh, Nigel Roberts and the other winners in the Biggest Winner trading competition," said Robert Girard, Senior Business Development Manager at National Bank Direct Brokerage. "Every year, the contest rewards the best performances. But the biggest win for participants is having fun while learning and building on their abilities as independent investors. We are proud to contribute in this way to financial education and the development of investment skills."

In total, there was $13,000 in cash prizes awarded as part of the Competition. The winners are:

Grand Prize: John Wayne Trinh, Saint-Leonard , QC
Runner-up: Nigel Roberts, Kelowna, BC

Week One: Steven Cohen, Dollard Des Ormeaux, QC
Week Two: Robert Davis, Gananoque, ON
Week Three: Adam Willhoeft, Oakville, ON
Week Four: Italo Silva, Scarborough, ON
Week Five: Shihab El Dessouki, Saint-Constant, QC
Week Six: Keith Cottons, Toronto, ON

About National Bank Direct Brokerage (www.nbdb.ca)
National Bank Direct Brokerage ("NBDB") is a division of and a trademark used by National Bank Financial Inc. ("NBF") for its order execution only services. National Bank Direct Brokerage offers no advice and makes no investment recommendations. Clients are solely responsible for the financial and tax consequences of their investment decisions. NBF is a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund.

About National Bank of Canada 
With $263 billion in assets as at January 31, 2019, National Bank of Canada, together with its subsidiaries, forms one of Canada's leading integrated financial groups. It has more than 21,000 employees in knowledge-intensive positions and has been recognized numerous times as a top employer and for its commitment to diversity. Its securities are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: NA). Follow the Bank's activities at nbc.ca or via social media on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

About Horizons ETFs Management (Canada) Inc. (www.HorizonsETFs.com)
Horizons ETFs Management (Canada) Inc. is an innovative financial services company and offers one of the largest suites of exchange traded funds in Canada. The Horizons ETFs product family includes a broadly diversified range of solutions for investors of all experience levels to meet their investment objectives in a variety of market conditions. Horizons ETFs has more than $10 billion of assets under management and 90 ETFs listed on major Canadian stock exchanges.

The Horizons Exchange Traded Products are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. The prospectus contains important detailed information about the Horizons Exchange Traded Products. Please read the relevant prospectus before investing.

SOURCE Horizons ETFs Management (Canada) Inc.