A man who can correctly predict the price of gold has helped BP generate £6.2m in profits.

Jawad Sharief, originally from Epping but now lives in Harlow, is top of the leadership board of forecasting group, The Good Judgement Project.

The competition is held every four years in partnership with The Economist magazine and The Ministry of Defence.

The top forecasters in GJP are reportedly 30 per cent better than intelligence officers who have access to classified information.

Mr Sharief was inspired to enter sign up to the bespoke group after seeing an advertisement following a radio interview.

“I called up Leading Britain’s Conversation (LBC) Radio over ten years ago to tell them about a letter I had sent to the Foreign Commonwealth Office had been blocked.

“Following the interview with the radio station, I noticed the ad saying they wanted new members. It is basically a collection of the smartest people in the world.

“You have to be under 0.2 on your losing feat in order to stay in the competition, otherwise you have to reapply”

Earlier this year, the Epping Forest resident also managed to correctly foretell the worth of gold would drop by 0.1 per cent after hitting a 14-month peak.

“I am a curious person which allows me uncover hidden agendas.

“My dignity and respect mean more to me than money but that also enables me to give a high performance.”

Mr Sharief who does voluntary work at Harlow library, is hoping his continued success will secure him a job in the near future.