Investment Banking Traders

Unlike their analyst and associate colleagues, investment banking traders don’t work 100-hour weeks that include weekends. They typically arrive to work prior to market open (6 a.m. to 7 a.m.), and then are able to leave when their particular market closes in the late afternoon. Less-experienced traders typically work longer hours. The trading room can be hectic, and the work of traders is often demanding and stressful. Throughout the day, traders must analyze massive amounts of information—via their Bloomberg terminals, audio updates from the trader’s dealerboard, press releases and company reports received via e-mail or other methods, and phone calls with industry experts and colleagues—and identify and act quickly on the 1 percent of the information that will allow their employer to make a profit. Despite the sometimes stressful work environment, many traders find the work intellectually stimulating and rewarding.