PUPILS are keeping a close eye on the stockmarket at the moment.

A team of students from St Theodore's High School in Burnley have reached the quarter finals of a competition to find the best young share pickers in the country.

More than 1,500 teams from across the country took part in the contest and were given an imaginary £20,000 to invest in the stock market last November.

The St Theodore's team have so far turned their initial investment into £27, 941 and is one of 15 in the North to qualify for the quarter final stages.

"The competition is a fun and exciting way to introduce young people to the world of stock market investment and to make them aware of the importance of money management and the choices available to them," said Gill Nott, chief executive of ProShare which organised the contest together with the Financial Times.

The winning team from each region will take part in a national final on May 22.

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