QE economists were given insights into the City and the state of the UK economy during a conference at a leading independent school.
The event hosted by St Paul’s School featured a presentation by George Dinenis, a trader at Deutsche Bank, who enlightened boys about the day-to-day realities of working in the financial world. Mr Dinenis, who trades contracts and h
andles books worth up to £200 million, also discussed some of the implications of economic policy, such as the end of quantitative easing and the impact it had had on his work.
His presentation was complemented by an address from George Buckley, Chief Economist at Nomura, the global investment bank, who presented his economic outlook for 2018 and beyond.
Dr Buckley talked about the opportunities and risks associated with the UK’s decision to leave the European Union. He covered issues ranging from the impacts of exchange rates to productivity.
The conference began with a team trading game, in which QE’s Year 12 boys were mixed with participants from other schools to take on different roles, such as manufacturers and bankers, within simulated commodity markets.
The trip was overseen by Shamendra Uduwawala, Head of Economics, who said Mr Dinenis’s talk offered “an excellent opportunity for the boys to learn about the demands of the banking sector, as well as providing information on routes into the industry. He stressed how important it was to choose to study a subject at university that one is passionate about and not merely because it might seem a more obvious entry to a particular career.” Mr Dinenis himself studied Physics at Imperial College before choosing a career in finance.
“The topics covered in Dr Buckley’s talk provided a great opportunity for boys to apply the macroeconomic concepts and ideas they had learnt in the classroom to a relevant real-world context,” said Mr Uduwawala. “The boys rose to the occasion, taking the opportunity to question Dr Buckley on his views.
“Overall the trip was a great learning experience and provided fresh insights into the world of banking and the UK economy for all the boys involved.”