A team of Year 13 investors has made an early qualification to the Regional Final of a highly regarded national investment competition.
The Sixth-Formers, who compete under the name of The Fun Guys, were already in a qualifying position, but have now progressed on a wild card system. The team, comprising Year 13 pupils Shivan Thakrar, Neil Gujar, Ronak Shah and Cheuk Hei Au (pictured left, left to right, starting with top row) became eligible for this by achieving one of the highest percentage increases in their investment portfolio in a single month (December).
The regional part of the ifs Student Investor Challenge competition runs until the end of February and the early progression of The Fun Guys opens the door for a second QE team also to get through to the Regional Final.
Over 2,500 teams have entered the competition in the South East Region, including 60 from QE. Each team of four 14-19 year olds has a “fantasy” £100,000 to invest over a three-month period. The top 20 teams from each region qualify for the Regional Final, with the top eight then progressing to the National Final.
“The Fun Guys are currently third in the South East Region and sixth nationally, with a portfolio worth £137,000,” said Liane Ryan, Head of Economics. “We are very pleased that they have qualified early, as usually only one team from each school can progress to the Regional Final. With a QE team from Year 10 currently in eighth position in the region, we stand a very good chance of having two teams through.”
It is only the second occasion on which a team from the School has progressed beyond the first round. If the Year 10 team is successful in progressing, it will be the first time that QE has been represented by two teams.
The eight teams that make it to the final will compete for an all-expenses-paid trip to New York, a £2,000 cash prize for their school or college and £200 for each team member.