On 21 June Lower Sixth Economics students took part in a visit to the The International Capital Market Association (ICMA) Centre at the University of Reading.

The visit followed Reigate College’s Stock Trading Competition, an internal competition organised by the College’s Economics Department.  

Oliver Wright, Head of Economics at the College explained, “Many of our Economics students have shown interest in working in the Financial Services sector, so the trip was designed to expose them to a financial services working environment.” 

“The University of Reading, with its impressive model trading floor and bespoke trading simulation, provided the perfect setting for this. The university staff were fantastic and organized an excellent day for both students and staff!”

He went on, “The visit is directly linked to the A Level Economics curriculum and was designed to deepen our students’ understanding of financial markets and investment strategies. The goal was to help enhance their analytical and decision-making skills within a simulated trading environment.”

“I was so proud to witness them work independently, interact, learn from each other, navigate the trading programme and compete with minimal guidance.” 

“Their engagement was remarkable. They diligently worked over several hours to maximize their returns, clearly enjoying every moment. It’s always a good sign when students keep talking about the day as they get on the coach and head back home!”

Harry B. & Euan W. were the winning team making £276,327 of virtual profit, while fulfilling the various regulatory obligations placed on traders.  

Our thanks to Economics teachers Oliver Wright, Athena Boutoura, and Mark Batsford, as well as to the University of Reading and the College’s Trips Department, for making this visit possible.