2013 Rankings

With the understanding of a few things:
1. Many trading operations are extremely different, and that is important to factor in.
2. These are subjective opinions based off of user experience.
3. Fit is usually more important than "rank".

I think it's somewhat important that people have a better idea of where they stand, given it's about that time where people have to start making decisions.

I think we should do the best we can to objectively categorize companies based off of their performance and the quality of people they attract and retain. Does everybody else agree?

That being said, the categories: (all rankings tentative until further discussion...)

Sales & Trading: Equities (and Related)
Tier 1: Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, BAML
Tier 2:
Tier 3:
Is GS still at the top here? I'm not knowledgeable in this area.

Sales & Trading: Commodities (and Related)
Tier 1: JPM, BAML, Citi, Barclays
Tier 2: Credit Suisse, Wells Fargo
Tier 3:

Sales & Trading: Credit (and Related)
Tier 1: JPM, DB, Citi, BAML
Tier 2:
Tier 3:
Hearing JPM does a lot of volume here?

Sales & Trading: Currencies (and Related)
Tier 1: Citi, Barclays, DB, maybe JPM? not sure
Tier 2: UBS, JPM, GS
Tier 3:

Sales & Trading: Rates
Tier 1: DB, CS, Citi, MS, (maybe JPM again?)
Tier 2: GS, JPM, BNP, WF
Tier 3: RBC, Nomura, RBS

Sales & Trading: Emerging Markets
Tier 1:
Tier 2: Jeffries
Tier 3:
no clue

Sales & Trading: Securitized Products
Tier 1:
Tier 2:
Tier 3:
no clue

Market Making, HFT, Statistical Arbitrage ("Quantitative Prop Shops")
Tier 1: Getco, Jane Street
Tier 2: Susquehanna International Group, Chicago Trading Company, DRW Trading...?
Tier 3:
Getco, Jane Street, Virtu...? Anybody know?

"Discretionary Prop Shops"
Tier 1: First New York Securities (???), Trillium
Tier 2:
Tier 3:
Are there any still left? lol

Physical Trading: Energy
Tier 1: BP, Vitol, Trafigura, Koch, Glencore
Tier 2: Shell, Total, Phillips 66
Tier 3: others
Remember physical trading is very niche and some small shops dominate in certain areas. Again, focus is on UG/Grad students for right now.

Physical Trading: Metals
Tier 1: Glencore, Trafigura
Tier 2:
Tier 3:

Physical Trading: Agriculture
Tier 1: Cargill, Bunge, Louis Dreyfus
Tier 2:
Tier 3:
ADM, Cargill, Koch, Bunge, Louis Dreyfus...?

 

Strongly endorse this thread being made. I have some knowledge of some firms but not comprehensive enough for a ranking.

The truth is you're the weak. And I'm the tyranny of evil men. But I'm tryin', Ringo. I'm tryin' real hard to be the shepherd.
 
BlackHat:
Agree with all rankings so far. Especially the ones towards the very top.

Blackhat or anyone else knowledgeable and experienced: For FICC (particularly rates, fx, or HY/distressed credit), any insight into which firms are best positioned for now/ future

 

Quoting some Greenwich Associates reports (the most recent one says that DB is number 1 in global FI, and Barclays is number 2, and I think Citi and JPM round it out):

FOREIGN EXCHANGE 2011 Global ranking by market share 1. Deutsche Bank 2. Barclays Capital 3. UBS 4. Citi 5. JPMorgan

US ranking by market share 1. Barclays Capital 2. Deutsche Bank 3. Citi 4. UBS

UNITED STATES FIXED INCOME 2012 Overall market share 1. Deutsche Bank 2. Goldman Sachs 3. Citi, JPMorgan 5. Barclays Capital, Credit Suisse

US Rates market share 1. Deutsche Bank 2. Goldman Sachs 3. Credit Suisse, Barclays Capital, Citi, JPMorgan

US Credit market share 1. Bank of America Merrill Lynch 2. JPMorgan 3. Goldman Sachs

US Emerging Markets market share 1. Barclays Capital, JPMorgan 3. Citi

US Securitized market share 1. Credit Suisse 2. Bank of America Merrill Lynch 3. Barclays Capital

GLOBAL COMMODITIES OTC 2012 Global energy, corporates, OTC derivatives market penetration 1. Barclays Capital, JPMorgan (top in service quality), Goldman Sachs (top in service quality) 4. Morgan Stanley 5. Deutsche Bank, Citi

US energy, corporates, OTC derivatives market penetration 1. JPMorgan 2. Goldman Sachs, Barclays Capital

European energy, corporates, OTC derivatives market penetration 1. Barclays Capital 2. Morgan Stanley, BNP Paribas

Ditto, Asian Pacific 1. Morgan Stanley 2. JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Barclays Capital

US EQUITY DERIVATIVES 2012 Options and volatility market penetration 1. Morgan Stanley, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs 4. Barclays, Credit Suisse 6. Deutsche Bank, Citi Top quality: BAML, DB, GS, MS

ETF market penetration 1. Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse 4. Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Barclays

The truth is you're the weak. And I'm the tyranny of evil men. But I'm tryin', Ringo. I'm tryin' real hard to be the shepherd.
 
mbavsmfin:
balladechina212:
Hudson River Trading should be up there in the quantitative prop shops, as well as Tower Research. Also Spot Trading LLC in Chicago probably

Spot is nowhere in the same league as hudson and tower.

It's apples and oranges. Tower and HRT are almost completely algo-based firms with software developer-types running the show, whereas Spot excels in vol arb and uses some fundamental analysis. They can all be considered "quantitative prop shops" based on these groupings, but are definitely not the same type of firm.

 
DChedge:
"US Rates market share 1. Deutsche Bank 2. Goldman Sachs 3. Credit Suisse, Barclays Capital, Citi, JPMorgan"

Mostly agree, but my personal rankings based on perceived flows and tight pricing 1. DB, CS 2. BAR (just cut their head of swaps, so might drop), Citi, MS 3. GS, JPM 4. BNP, WF (up and coming), BOA 5. RBC, Nomura, RBS UBS was probably 2nd or 3rd tier, but now they basically don't exist

Nice one. From a buy side perspective, is this?

The truth is you're the weak. And I'm the tyranny of evil men. But I'm tryin', Ringo. I'm tryin' real hard to be the shepherd.
 
DChedge:
"US Rates market share 1. Deutsche Bank 2. Goldman Sachs 3. Credit Suisse, Barclays Capital, Citi, JPMorgan"

Mostly agree, but my personal rankings based on perceived flows and tight pricing 1. DB, CS 2. BAR (just cut their head of swaps, so might drop), Citi, MS 3. GS, JPM 4. BNP, WF (up and coming), BOA 5. RBC, Nomura, RBS UBS was probably 2nd or 3rd tier, but now they basically don't exist

Is ranking these firms based on flow volume, market share, or tightness of pricing really indicative of which firms have the most talented/profitable traders (and consequently, which firms it would be best to join as a junior where you can learn from the rockstars on the street)?

 
whalesquid123:
DChedge:
"US Rates market share 1. Deutsche Bank 2. Goldman Sachs 3. Credit Suisse, Barclays Capital, Citi, JPMorgan"

Mostly agree, but my personal rankings based on perceived flows and tight pricing 1. DB, CS 2. BAR (just cut their head of swaps, so might drop), Citi, MS 3. GS, JPM 4. BNP, WF (up and coming), BOA 5. RBC, Nomura, RBS UBS was probably 2nd or 3rd tier, but now they basically don't exist

Is ranking these firms based on flow volume, market share, or tightness of pricing really indicative of which firms have the most talented/profitable traders (and consequently, which firms it would be best to join as a junior where you can learn from the rockstars on the street)?

No, not necessarily indicitive of best places to go if you are junior. Every shop has very smart people and good traders, so you will learn a lot everywhere. Also, places like GS have fewer trades, but likely make more $ per trade because their business plan isn't to capture large market share.

Can only contribute what I know from being on the buy side. But with clearing coming up and the market likely to consolidate, I wouldn't want to be caught at a bottom tier dealer and end up getting shut down. Only the largest BBs are clearing FCMs, and all others will only be able to trade through execution agreements. It is yet to be seen how buyside shops will react to this, as it is possible they will just only trade with shops that are FCMs.

 

For fixed income and equity markets a lot of it depends on who your coverage is. Any firm can trade equities, and trade them well, the key is to have a salesman/trader who can get stuff done. Same with fixed income, you want someone who knows what you are looking for in the primary and secondary markets. There is no use in using a big name firm with a lot of respect if they are not showing you what you want. As a buy side trader, you go to whoever best suits your strategy. If you like to buy 500m-2MM pieces of Investment Grade paper, every firm on the street will have something to show you. The key is to find out which firm shows you the most value. It's obviously much different for derivatives, rates, currencies, structured products, etc. because they can be more specialized.

If nobody hates you, you're doing something wrong
 

Physical Energy Trading:

  1. Vitol
  2. Trafigura
  3. Glencore

Vitol has been very strong for a very long time. Glencore has fallen off after their IPO in 2011 and subsequent move to Stamford. A great deal of talent cashed out at that point, but it could represent a good opportunity for openings. There are a number of smaller players in those markets that I've found intriguing as well (i.e. Gulfstream, Louis Dreyfus).

 
Dr. Shakalu:
Physical Energy Trading:
  1. Vitol
  2. Trafigura
  3. Glencore

Vitol has been very strong for a very long time. Glencore has fallen off after their IPO in 2011 and subsequent move to Stamford. A great deal of talent cashed out at that point, but it could represent a good opportunity for openings. There are a number of smaller players in those markets that I've found intriguing as well (i.e. Gulfstream, Louis Dreyfus).

very wrong

 
monty09:
Dr. Shakalu:
Physical Energy Trading:
  1. Vitol
  2. Trafigura
  3. Glencore

Vitol has been very strong for a very long time. Glencore has fallen off after their IPO in 2011 and subsequent move to Stamford. A great deal of talent cashed out at that point, but it could represent a good opportunity for openings. There are a number of smaller players in those markets that I've found intriguing as well (i.e. Gulfstream, Louis Dreyfus).

very wrong

You can't just say a ranking is wrong without giving an alternate ranking. Obviously, you agree there is a ranking, so go ahead and give your ranking or stop criticizing others for their rankings. You are not adding value by just saying 'very wrong'.
 
monty09:
Dr. Shakalu:
Physical Energy Trading:
  1. Vitol
  2. Trafigura
  3. Glencore

Vitol has been very strong for a very long time. Glencore has fallen off after their IPO in 2011 and subsequent move to Stamford. A great deal of talent cashed out at that point, but it could represent a good opportunity for openings. There are a number of smaller players in those markets that I've found intriguing as well (i.e. Gulfstream, Louis Dreyfus).

very wrong

We talking that whole continent called North America right? Monty as usual lays down the law. If he cares he could add his point.

I will keep it short, Glencore and Traf do not belong on the list for NAM Energy Desks, we talking North America right? Koch ain't what it used to be.

Also disagree that the pure trading houses are the main last goal for most people. Most people would rather go to a hedge fund or somewhere that gets more deal flow than so the so called "pure trading houses". Again we talking North America right?

 

I don't think monty09 is saying that there's really a ranking, just that the whole Trafi is better than Glencore now because people have jumped ship after the IPO seems like a pretty bold/most likely unfounded statement.

Which is why, no disrespect to Tupac, the whole concept of a 2013 trading ranking is probably not that good of an idea anyway. There are too many variables to make true rankings. A list of "leading players" in each field is probably the best we can do.

 

Could someone with knowledge (Ideally a buy-side trader) rank equities and related? OP just included Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, BAML but said he was not knowledgeable in the area. I feel like this is one of the places where some of other sell-side firms with solid ER teams( mainly thinking MM like blair, baird, etc) could step up and compete head to head with BB's, but I honestly have no idea. Any insight?

 
SV4lax:
Could someone with knowledge (Ideally a buy-side trader) rank equities and related? OP just included Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, BAML but said he was not knowledgeable in the area. I feel like this is one of the places where some of other sell-side firms with solid ER teams( mainly thinking MM like blair, baird, etc) could step up and compete head to head with BB's, but I honestly have no idea. Any insight?
If it's cash equities, just about any firm can trade them well. The commission dollars are usually awarded based on the more helpful research/management access.
 
nyrangers11:
For a S&T fixed income summer internship, which firms do you all believe are best positioned for now/ a career: GS, CS, DB, or BAML?

I would eliminate BAML as their market share has been going down. I know you will be worked hardest at GS because they have very few to no trade assistants, so there is that (but you get the GS brand name). I would say CS or DB because as non US based firms they aren't subject to as many regulations which should help them going forward. As a side note I would lean towards CS of the 2 just because I can't stand DB's dungeon like trading floor...

 
DChedge:
nyrangers11:
For a S&T fixed income summer internship, which firms do you all believe are best positioned for now/ a career: GS, CS, DB, or BAML?

I would eliminate BAML as their market share has been going down. I know you will be worked hardest at GS because they have very few to no trade assistants, so there is that (but you get the GS brand name). I would say CS or DB because as non US based firms they aren't subject to as many regulations which should help them going forward. As a side note I would lean towards CS of the 2 just because I can't stand DB's dungeon like trading floor...

There is a droning, humming sound at DB that is pretty intense. Culture-wise I vastly preferred the CS folks to DB.

The truth is you're the weak. And I'm the tyranny of evil men. But I'm tryin', Ringo. I'm tryin' real hard to be the shepherd.
 
DChedge:
nyrangers11:
For a S&T fixed income summer internship, which firms do you all believe are best positioned for now/ a career: GS, CS, DB, or BAML?

I would eliminate BAML as their market share has been going down. I know you will be worked hardest at GS because they have very few to no trade assistants, so there is that (but you get the GS brand name). I would say CS or DB because as non US based firms they aren't subject to as many regulations which should help them going forward. As a side note I would lean towards CS of the 2 just because I can't stand DB's dungeon like trading floor...

aren't european banks retreating from the US due to dodd frank...

 
DChedge:
nyrangers11:
For a S&T fixed income summer internship, which firms do you all believe are best positioned for now/ a career: GS, CS, DB, or BAML?

I would eliminate BAML as their market share has been going down. I know you will be worked hardest at GS because they have very few to no trade assistants, so there is that (but you get the GS brand name). I would say CS or DB because as non US based firms they aren't subject to as many regulations which should help them going forward. As a side note I would lean towards CS of the 2 just because I can't stand DB's dungeon like trading floor...

Thanks for your help. I was under the impression that American banks w/ big balance sheets like BAML/JPM would be ideal places to be as a young grad. Also thought BAML was gaining market share with it beginning to successfully integrate Merrill's securities business into its own.

Thought CS was struggling in FI as of late and that new regulations coming into place might hit smaller and leaner shops like them, MS, and GS a bit harder.

Any of this accurate?

 

Also, not sure about many hedge funds that trade the physical size a lot of guys at the majors and trading houses do. I know many funds will specialize in one sort of market (you'll see this in power... sometimes in local physical markets, like Port of Houston, etc), but not much more than that... if you could maybe expand on that? I'm not sure.

 
gammaovertheta:
I'll just say top tier, in no particular order. Anything beyond that is pretty largely speculative.

...

Commodities GS, MS, JPM

...

Securitized Products GS, Citi, JPM, BAML

MS' commodities group is in the process of being sold to Qatar's sovereign fund. And I would throw Barclays in for Securitized Products.

"There are three ways to make a living in this business: be first, be smarter, or cheat."
 
Sandhurst:
gammaovertheta:
I'll just say top tier, in no particular order. Anything beyond that is pretty largely speculative.

...

Commodities GS, MS, JPM

...

Securitized Products GS, Citi, JPM, BAML

MS' commodities group is in the process of being sold to Qatar's sovereign fund. And I would throw Barclays in for Securitized Products.

honestly in 08 that seemed accurate but now i can honestly say it's like jpm, barclays, baml/citi. for commodities..

 
GoodBread:
Are these US rankings? On a global basis, Shell fixes significantly more crude/products than BP nowadays. That doesn't necessarily speak to comp, but they're a major feeder to Vitol.

theyre rankings focused on best places to work out of school / to get experience. typically BP has better traders

 
Tupac:
GoodBread:
Are these US rankings? On a global basis, Shell fixes significantly more crude/products than BP nowadays. That doesn't necessarily speak to comp, but they're a major feeder to Vitol.

theyre rankings focused on best places to work out of school / to get experience. typically BP has better traders

Hah I disagree, BP has had some major mess ups since macondo and the exodus of talent that forced. Likewise they had a major deal blow up last year that impacted trading globally.

I agree with others, lists like these are tough to say because a lot of this comes down to who you are and who you end up working with. Some people learn better from certain people and some places will give you a better education early on than others.

 

These threads are always retarded. None of you have any idea which banks are the best at any of these products because best is such an ambiguous term that none of you really know what you are discussing anyway. Best at making prices? Best at taking risk? Most flow? Best/Widest product offerings? Best payouts for talent? Fastest to promote? There are maybe a handful of people on this site who can answer for any of single product, much less all of them, and anyone who claims to know otherwise is fooling you. This may be an extreme example, but someone just said "I think JEF is tier 2 in EM" (again, wtf is EM? FX, rates? credit? equities?) and sure enough there they are on the list, in tier 2, just because one person on the internet said so.

 
Cash4Gold:
These threads are always retarded. None of you have any idea which banks are the best at any of these products because best is such an ambiguous term that none of you really know what you are discussing anyway. Best at making prices? Best at taking risk? Most flow? Best/Widest product offerings? Best payouts for talent? Fastest to promote? There are maybe a handful of people on this site who can answer for any of single product, much less all of them, and anyone who claims to know otherwise is fooling you. This may be an extreme example, but someone just said "I think JEF is tier 2 in EM" (again, wtf is EM? FX, rates? credit? equities?) and sure enough there they are on the list, in tier 2, just because one person on the internet said so.
Tupac:
theyre rankings focused on best places to work out of school / to get experience.
 
Tupac:
Cash4Gold:
These threads are always retarded. None of you have any idea which banks are the best at any of these products because best is such an ambiguous term that none of you really know what you are discussing anyway. Best at making prices? Best at taking risk? Most flow? Best/Widest product offerings? Best payouts for talent? Fastest to promote? There are maybe a handful of people on this site who can answer for any of single product, much less all of them, and anyone who claims to know otherwise is fooling you. This may be an extreme example, but someone just said "I think JEF is tier 2 in EM" (again, wtf is EM? FX, rates? credit? equities?) and sure enough there they are on the list, in tier 2, just because one person on the internet said so.
Tupac:
theyre rankings focused on best places to work out of school / to get experience.

Considering that most of the people who responded haven't worked at one of these places in any of the listed products (much less two!) this only furthers my point. Not to mention that it is a near certainty that some of these places that get tier 1 in whatever product is listed are very senior oriented and couldn't give a flying fuck about training new hires.

I suppose if this gives people a false sense of hope or direction about where to conduct their intern search then awesome but hopefully anyone with a functioning left side of their brain understands that these are glorified market share rankings, and it has nothing to do with the best places to work coming out of school. These are no indication of the quality of traders/salespeople at any particular firm. The only way to get that information is by working at one of these places or knowing someone who does that actually wants to talk about it outside of work.

 
Best Response

Basically what Cash4Gold said. The fact that a firm has a huge market share might just mean they have tradition in that product, or is a specific niche and have a huge desk where they won't teach you anything. And it varies so much for tiny details it's not even for the same desk or even the same the same product. For instance SocGen and BNPP have ridiculous volume on French govvies and linkers. Does that mean that if you are handed the French govvies book in JPM your job is much worse than the guy running treasuries? Or does it mean it's equally good because you are at the same firm, product and desk? Huge profits can just be a great trader who only does prop and isn't bothered to talk to interns or analysts. The best traders don't necessarily make the best teachers, and even though they are a minority there are huge assholes on the floor. My point is it's pointless to make rankings in S&T because you have to generalize too much, and when you do that you end up losing the information you were looking for in the first place. Also, having people who haven't been on a trading floor ever throwing names is a bit ridiculous. The Rates list looks all wrong to me, at least in London. But I would bet that for example Barclays does better in NYC than most of the banks named there as well. If you want to decide on where to work (and you can actually choose) think about it from a teaching and advancement opportunity perspective. Questions like is it a good fit? Are they used to having interns and grads and therefore have experience teaching or do they all come from other desks? What kind of careers do the people who were trained by them have? How many people are there between you and your boss? Is the pyramid very bottom heavy which will make it difficult for you to get responsibilities and get promoted?

 

Harum in magnam ipsa perspiciatis recusandae voluptas minima. Quas nam nisi in quia. Optio consequatur quia quo itaque. Tenetur excepturi id placeat ipsam.

Voluptatibus aut at eveniet rerum et. Doloribus eligendi sint necessitatibus quo est. Est laborum aut necessitatibus. Illum ipsa impedit aut aut. Fugit enim eveniet est sit. Quae fuga eum hic assumenda quasi. Assumenda voluptatem magni eum vel perspiciatis.

 

Blanditiis ratione est optio praesentium corporis velit. Cumque deleniti illo accusamus et mollitia. Voluptatem non nulla id veritatis suscipit ad.

Fugit odio necessitatibus perspiciatis omnis autem et ex. Quia assumenda odit adipisci nostrum quia alias recusandae.

Non rem in necessitatibus veritatis ipsum atque ipsa. Asperiores nesciunt quis nam maiores rerum delectus neque. Quia alias vero consequatur itaque perferendis illo et consequuntur. Dolor debitis sed adipisci rerum suscipit alias facilis minus. Eos aut harum vero est eum. Alias ut iste rerum quam. Numquam sapiente molestias est corporis nemo.

 

Ut eveniet velit omnis sunt. Enim optio rerum magnam eaque illo. Id repudiandae nulla consequatur vel doloremque.

Ullam ut ut eos. Consectetur suscipit blanditiis suscipit. In doloremque non quas accusantium et rerum. Quasi debitis officiis nam ratione dolore itaque. Et assumenda non ut molestiae tempora quos voluptates. Magni necessitatibus expedita modi repellat repudiandae dolorem eius neque. Aperiam sapiente sunt facere reprehenderit voluptatem.

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. (++) 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (86) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (13) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (202) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (144) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”