Akuna Capital Market Making Game 2027: How to Play

Akuna Capital Market Making Game 2027: How to Play

Akuna Capital Market Making Game 2027: How to Play

For the Akuna Capital market making game, quote a two-sided market around your best estimate: e.g., 45 bid at 55 — a fair value of 50 with a spread compensating your uncertainty. Commonly reported by candidates, this tests Bayesian updating and spread logic, not the 'right' number.

What This Question Assesses

This tests market-making instincts: can you form a fair value from no information, protect yourself with a spread, and update as information arrives? The interviewer will then draw marbles and trade against you — watching how your market tightens and shifts with evidence. Static quotes fail; adaptive ones pass.

How to Answer: Akuna Capital Market Making Game

  • Step 1 — Start from symmetry: with no information, fair value is 50 red marbles — state your prior explicitly.
  • Step 2 — Quote a spread: e.g., 45 bid / 55 offer — the spread compensates your uncertainty and the risk of trading with better-informed flow.
  • Step 3 — Update on draws: each red drawn raises your estimate; each blue lowers it — shift the mid and tighten the spread as uncertainty falls.
  • Step 4 — Manage the position: if the interviewer keeps buying, raise your market — their flow is information; adjust rather than stubbornly holding.

Example: "With no information my fair value is 50, so I would quote 45 bid at 55. As we draw marbles I will update: reds push my market up, blues push it down, and my spread tightens as I learn the true composition."

Common Mistakes on Akuna Capital Market Making Game

  • Quoting with no spread (50/50) — that gives away free edge to anyone with information.
  • Never updating the market — the game is about Bayesian updating; static quotes show you missed the point.
  • Ignoring the interviewer's trading flow — persistent buying is information; a market maker adjusts.

Market-making games cannot be memorized — but the instincts can be practiced. Play estimation games with friends and narrate your updating aloud.

Keep Reading

FAQ

How wide should the initial spread be?

Wide enough to reflect total uncertainty — with zero information, a 10-wide market on 100 marbles is reasonable. Tighten as you learn.

What is Bayesian updating here?

Adjusting your estimated red count as each draw provides evidence — reds shift the estimate up, blues down.

What if the interviewer trades aggressively?

Treat flow as information and move your market — then consider widening the spread against informed trading.

Does the exact starting quote matter?

Less than the logic: a justified prior, a protective spread, and disciplined updating are what get scored.

Preparing for Akuna Capital's interview? Our 2027 Akuna Capital Coding Challenge Math Test Probability Test On-demand Interview Exact Questions & Answers has practice questions and answers — $79 one-time, instant download.