Young Economist 2019

Congratulations to Gabriella Neilon and Colenso Holder ("Wolves of Wallstreet") from Stellenbosch University who placed as the top SU team, and second overall, in this year's Young Economist Competition (pictured above with lecturers Carina Smit, Rebecca Selkirk and Hylton Hollander). Each year, the Die Burger Young Economist Competition puts first-year economics students head-to-head with the aim to predict economic variables such as CPI inflation, real GDP growth, commodity prices, and exchange rates. The enthusiasm and insight shown by the students amidst a challenging and uncertain economic environment was indeed inspiring. In first place were Mpfuno Bilankulu, Mfumo Hatlane, and Lamine Diane ("Econ Agents") from the University of Cape Town, and, in third place, were Alistair Pyle, Anjali Jivan, and Caleb Matthews ("Yonks") from Stellenbosch University. Many thanks to our sponsor, Die Burger, for hosting a fun and lively awards ceremony at the Media24 Centre in Cape Town. To all of the remaining teams who placed in the top 10, well done on a fantastic effort - we were impressed with your insight and grit! Thank you all for being a part of the competition, and all the best as you continue forward in your studies, and in forging a deeper understanding of Economics!

(Thanks to Hylton Hollander for contributing this article and Natalie Gabriels for the photo.)