BUDDING young businessmen and women are bidding for success in an investment challenge.

About 60 students from Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School have been taking part in the London Institute of Banking and Finance Student Investor Challenge.

The school has 16 teams of four which are investing in the FTSE 100, Small Cap 50 and ETFs in two portfolios.

They have £100,000 to invest in an active portfolio for day-to-day trades, and £100,000 in a strategic account for long-term investments.

The winning team from more than 3,500 groups will win an all- expenses paid trip to New York, as well as spending money.

A school spokesman said: “Our students are learning about valuing shares using technical analysis, as well as gaining an insight into how difficult it is to beat the market, especially with hefty commissions.

“There are more than 3,500 teams competing nationwide, with around 500 making the semi-finals.

“We have a few teams that have been in and out of the top 500, and we are pushing to secure some places in the semi-final.

“Our current front runners are a group of year 11 students – James Whalley, Matthew Teahan, Abbie Groves and Christie Graham.

“They are in 29th place overall and have an excellent chance to make the semi-finals.

“Mr Gallagher is also representing HCCS, and is currently second amongst teachers nationally.”