Brentwood: Financial skills put to test as kids trade stocks
Lexi Gundle using the trading programme - Credit: Archant
School kids have put their financial skills to the test to trade stocks and shares for the last few weeks.
The Year 6 pupils at Hutton Manor School were taking part in a mock competition to learn how traders work.
They used a live trading system that simulates a real time trading floor in company stocks and shares.
Each pupil was given £100 to start their trading and they had to manage the money over a few weeks to try to make a profit by interpreting and analysing information from the financial markets.
They built a portfolio of shares and made decisions about where to invest and when to sell. The pupil with the highest amount of profit at the end of the competition will be the winner.
Pupil Lexie Gundle, 11, said: “I have enjoyed it; I am up £1,194 at the moment. I started off by buying shares in Next and Sports Direct as I saw they were up on the FTSE 100 list and BBC Business website.
“I have been watching the news at home for information on companies and then logging on to my account to buy and sell shares as homework”.
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Adam Nash, 11, said: “My dad is a trader for RBS and has given me the business section of the newspaper each night for me to look through at how different companies are doing. I think I would like to be a trader when I get older as I have really enjoyed it.
Assistant headteacher and Year 6 teacher Mr Bell said: “This is a fantastic initiative which has given pupils the chance to put their skills to the test in a fun and competitive way.
“Business is not part of their curriculum at this age but we like to stretch the children and they have thoroughly enjoyed it.”
