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- Be involved in the fast-paced global markets
- Break down news and data as it comes in, formulating your view on you think what is going to happen
- Utilise your analytical skills and decision making to help your clients make meaningful trades
As a sales and trading analyst, you will be involved in roles that are in the front office division of investment banking.
DAY-TO-DAY DUTIES
Your typical day will depend on which specific asset type (type of financial product being traded) you specialise in, such as equities (stocks of companies), foreign exchange, and fixed income (trading debts of companies/governments).
If you're working as a trader in an investment bank, you'll be executing trades on financial markets on behalf of the client. You'll have to minimise the risk of the trade, try get a good price for your client while also ensuring that the bank gets a good commission on the trade.
DAY-TO-DAY ENVIRONMENT
You'll work in an office, working very long hours and your working environment may be stressful.
You'll need
To be a sales and trading analyst, you'll need strong numerical and analytical skills, knowledge of maths and finance, team-work and leadership skills, time management skills, and the ability to cope well under pressure.
Due to the fast pace of markets, you'll need to be able to digest news and data at a very fast rate, using your analysis to form a view and then pitch trade ideas to clients, being a middleman between clients and traders.
To get into this role, you would usually need a degree, such as finance or economics, but a specific subject is not always essential. One of the key routes is to do an internship while you are at university. Most banks tend to offer summer and off-cycle internships for university students/recent graduates, and if you perform well on your internship, they will give you an offer to join them once you have completed your studies.
CAREER PROSPECTS
You could also move into work for asset managers and hedge funds later on in their careers.