We spoke to John-Michel who is an equities trader at UBS, London. Having graduated from Warwick with an Economics degree he gained a role in the Investment Bank, Investor Client Services in 2014. We asked what John-Michel’s typical day looked like and this is what he said…
"As cliché as this may sound, a 'typical day' does not really exist on a trading desk, given the unpredictable nature of the markets. Nevertheless, my usual routine consists of coming into the office at 6am and getting up to speed with the market news. This involves looking at how the US and Asian markets traded overnight, as well as studying stock specific news. I then form an opinion on how this news might impact the stocks that I trade through discussion with research analysts and members of my team. At 7.30am, there is a trading huddle, where each trader summarises the notable news in their sector before markets open at 8am.
Once the markets open, I manage my orders, understand why stocks are trading in the way they are, and keep on top of the news flow and research which is being published by the bank. The team that I work in is highly collaborative so all the traders are in constant dialogue, discussing any information they've acquired. I also have a great deal of interaction with sales-traders to appreciate the needs of the client and examine the specifics of certain orders.
Constantly talking to so many people helps me ascertain a well-rounded view of the market and allows me to appreciate certain aspects which may not have initially been considered."
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