David Storrs-Fox, Stef Newth, Rosie Woods and Christopher Marlow recently took part in a regional heat of this annual competition for A-Level economists. Competing against eight other teams they took the runner up spot behind North London Collegiate School. The Eltham College team put forward a very robust case for keeping the base rate at 5% - citing slack in the labour market, falling fuel prices and fragile consumer confidence as their primary arguments.
Despite a technical fault beyond their control they produced a professional presentation, based on extensive research and supported by sophisticated economic analysis. The judges were particularly impressed with the team’s insightful primary research into the Christmas spending intentions of consumers – and how these had changed as a result of the increase in base rates at the start of the month.
A win was always going to be difficult given the quality and quantity of competition present at this particular heat but the Eltham College team certainly made it a difficult decision for the judges. Congratulations to the four involved directly and thanks to Imran Khan who helped with research, provided feedback after rehearsals and looked after the technical side of things.