
What are the job roles and responsibilities of an Trader?
Traders generally fall into one of the following categories:
flow traders – buy and sell financial products on behalf of their bank’s clients
proprietary traders – trade on behalf of the bank itself
sales traders – take instructions from the client and act as intermediaries between the client and the people who execute the trades (flow and proprietary traders).
Responsibilities include:
collating relevant information and data
liaising closely with sales staff and inter-dealer brokers
determining market sentiment via research, valuation and data analysis
monitoring UK and international market performance
making prices in specific products
providing key parties with daily trading information
informing the sales staff about market movements/prices
executing trades
gaining information from sales staff about client issues.
Trading offers high levels of responsibility, good promotional opportunities and impressive financial rewards including generous salaries and large bonuses.
Typical employers of traders
Financial houses
Investment banks
Exchanges such as ICE Futures Europe
Treasury departments of major companies
Qualifications and training required
You’ll need to be a graduate to enter this career. A good degree in any subject is required, though qualifications in economics, politics, business, financial or numerate subjects can be useful. Relevant experience gained via job shadowing, placements or vacation work (internships) is beneficial.
Key skills for traders
Confidence
Numerical skills
IT skills
Communication skills
An interest in financial markets
Analytical skills
Interpersonal skills
Team Working skills.