Descriptions:

Traders may specialise in a particular product, such as shares, fixed-interest bonds or foreign exchange (FX) markets.

Responsibilities:

While there are many similarities in the work of flow and proprietary traders and those
working in sales, their roles differ substantially. The main difference is risk – sales traders
do not take risks, while flow traders take risks in seeking rewards.

Work activities of a flow trader typically include :

• Speaking with colleagues, making phone calls and making instant decisions.
• Making prices in their relevant products.
• Executing trades electronically or by phone.
• Liaising with sales traders or clients on market movements.
• Predicting how markets will move and buying and selling accordingly (especially derivatives traders, who try to predict the state of a market at a future date).
• Informing all relevant parties of the most relevant trades for the day.
• Gathering information – critically about mispriced assets, detailed data analysis and valuation.

Working Hours :

Working hours are typically 7am to 6.30pm with experience, but may be considerably longer for newcomers. Foreign exchange (FX) is 6.30am to 5pm, while oil can be 8am to 6.30pm or 9.30am to 8pm.

What to expect :

• The work is office based and the vast majority of opportunities.
• Self-employment or freelance work is unusual without years of experience.
• The work is demanding and trading can be hectic. Managing large amounts of other people’s money is not a career to be taken lightly.
• Overseas travel is occasionally required and, depending on the client base, is likely at least once a month for traders in sales.