rates- exotic or flow trading?

Hey guys

I'm going to be a SA in Fixed Income Trading this summer and I will be on one desk the entire time. All I know is that I will be working in rates and HR wants to know if I prefer flow or exotic. I don't really have a preference right now and I'm just looking for some feedback on what you think is more attractive right now.

6 Comments
 

right now risk aversion pushes more activity towards flow rather than exotic, but a lot of the flow guys (rates and fx) are worried b/c algo systems are reshaping the way flow is done. For the long run, if you have a strong math background i'd say exotic, but for the summer i'd say flow.

congrats on the position, that's a keeper.

 

you'll get much more out of understanding the players in a market than on an exotics desk which is probably thin as shit right now anyway.

 

In good times I would say exotics without a doubt. You would learn a lot more, it would be way more challenging and you could potentially make more moeny depending on the desk.

But now exotics is in bad shape, so I would pick flow as a defense move.

 

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