A team of four Lower Sixth students from Bishop’s Stortford College have battled their way into the Student Investor Challenge semi-finals, beating over 9,000 teams from schools around the UK and abroad.
The Student Investor Challenge, run by The London Institute of Banking & Finance, challenges teams of school children to invest virtual money on the London Stock Exchange and trade stocks and shares to make a profit.
‘OG’, the team from Bishop’s Stortford, consisted of Dara S, Emelia M, Lizzy T and Tabitha B. They successfully invested virtual money and came 293rd after the first round of trading.
The team will now go on to battle the remaining 499 teams in an online contest over the next four weeks. From there, the eight best performing teams from the semi-finals will be invited to the live national final. This will be made up of a number of business challenges and will be held in London late April/early May, with the winning team receiving a trip to New York.
Mr Murtagh-Howard, Teacher of Economics and organiser of the Student Investor Club at Bishop’s Stortford, said: “This is an outstanding achievement by these four students; it will not only inspire others but will build confidence for life. The next round will be difficult, but we wish them all the very best on reaching the finals in London.”
Catherine Winter, Managing Director of Financial Capability at The London Institute of Banking & Finance, commented: “This competition is a powerful way of engaging young people with how the finance sector works and relating it to everyday life. The movement of stocks and shares, currency fluctuations and central bank activities can feel quite remote and difficult to get to grips with. By bringing it to life through a trading game, young people have proved they can grasp how economies work and the basics of investment. So, congratulations to the semi-finalists for making the top 500, it’s a great achievement!”