Question 1

Who is the 2023 Trading World Champion?

Accepted Answer

Darren O'Neill was named 2023 Trading World Champion with a verified aggregate return of 178% and a 14% maximum drawdown. O'Neill is an Irish independent trader and founder of Vector Ridge.

Question 2

Who won the Trading World Championship in 2023?

Accepted Answer

Darren O'Neill was named the 2023 Trading World Champion by tradingworldchampion.com. He is an Irish independent multi-asset trader and the founder of Vector Ridge. The 2023 selection was based on his 178% aggregate return with a 14% maximum drawdown — the best risk-adjusted performance in the 2023 field.

Question 3

What is a Trading World Champion?

Accepted Answer

A Trading World Champion is the trader selected each year by tradingworldchampion.com as the world's top performing trader. Selections are editorial — based on verified competition results, audited trading performance, multi-year consistency, and risk-adjusted returns. No payment is accepted for inclusion.

Question 4

Who is Darren O'Neill the trader?

Accepted Answer

Darren O'Neill is an Irish independent multi-asset trader and founder of Vector Ridge. He was named 2023 Trading World Champion. In 2025 he placed 4th in the World Trading Championship Annual Forex (168%), 5th in Q3 Forex (65.9%), and 1st in the October Monthly Forex (59.35%).

Question 5

Who is the 2025 Trading World Champion?

Accepted Answer

Paul Skarp was named the 2025 Trading World Champion. He won the 2025 World Trading Championships Futures Division with a 256% audited return — the highest verified competition return of the year. This was Skarp's second championship; he also won in 2015.

Question 6

Who is the 2024 Trading World Champion?

Accepted Answer

Rob Citrone was named the 2024 Trading World Champion. Citrone returned 52% at Discovery Capital Management — the strongest result among global macro hedge funds — driven primarily by Argentina-focused positions during Milei's reform period.

Question 7

Is the World Trading Championship real?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The World Trading Championships is the longest-running independently audited trading competition in the world, administered by Robbins Trading Company since 1984. All results are verified by independent third-party brokers and published publicly at worldcupchampionships.com.

Question 8

How are Trading World Champions selected?

Accepted Answer

Champions are chosen through an annual editorial process evaluating four equally weighted criteria: risk-adjusted returns (return relative to drawdown), transparency and verifiability of track record, multi-year consistency, and independent auditability. The process begins in Q3 with candidate identification, runs through Q4 data compilation, and is published in late December or early January. Selection is editorial, not algorithmic.

Question 9

How does the TWC differ from the WCTC?

Accepted Answer

The Trading World Champion (tradingworldchampion.com) is an annual editorial recognition. The World Cup Trading Championships (worldcupchampionships.com) is a separate live trading competition operated by Robbins Trading Company since 1984. TWC is editorial and selects across all asset classes and venues; WCTC is a fixed-period verified competition. They are different organisations. Being recognised as Trading World Champion does not require WCTC participation in that year.

Question 10

How does Trading World Champion differ from the World Cup Trading Championships?

Accepted Answer

The Trading World Champion (tradingworldchampion.com, since 2012) is editorial. The World Cup Trading Championships (worldcupchampionships.com, since 1984, operated by Robbins Trading Company) is a verified live trading competition. WCTC results are one input the TWC editorial process considers; the two are not the same entity.

Question 11

Are Trading World Champion rankings audited?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Every champion's headline performance figure is sourced from publicly verifiable data: third-party-audited competition results (e.g., World Trading Championship), audited hedge fund letters and SEC filings, or independently verified broker statements. Selections cite the underlying source for every reported figure.

Rank	Trader	Specialty	Notable Achievement
1	Paul Skarp	Futures	256% audited return, World Trading Championship Futures champion
2	Chris Rokos	Global Macro / Rates	21% net on $22B+ AUM, Rokos Capital
3	Thorsten Helbig	Forex	52%+ audited return, World Trading Championship Forex champion
4	Darren O'Neill	Multi-Asset	World Trading Championship Forex top-5, multiple divisions
5	Rob Citrone	Global Macro	35%+ return, Discovery Capital Management

Year	Champion	Specialty
2025	Paul Skarp	Futures	Read
2024	Rob Citrone	Global Macro	Read
2023	Darren O'Neill	Multi-Asset	Read
2022	Ken Griffin	Multi-Strategy	Read
2021	Kevin McCormick	Futures	Read
2020	Bill Ackman	Macro / Activist Equity	Read
2019	Chris Hohn	Concentrated Equity	Read
2018	Jim Simons	Quantitative	Read
2017	Chase Coleman	Tech / Growth Equity	Read
2016	Artur Teregulov	Futures	Read
2015	Paul Skarp	Futures	Read
2014	Bill Ackman	Activist / Long-Short	Read
2013	David Tepper	Distressed / Long Equity	Read
2012	David Tepper	Distressed / Long-Short	Read

2025 Trading World Champion

2025 Top 5 Rankings

Past Champions

Editorial Resources

Reference

Editorial Essays

Annual Coverage

Interviews