Can you move Akuna junior trader to Hedge Fund Analyst?

Hi everyone,

My cousin is a strategy consultant and he was made redundant due to Covid. As such, he is currently near the end of the interview process for a 'Junior Trader' role at Akuna Capital. 

He has developed a passion for the markets and wants to ultimately try and move into an L/S HF within their investment team. He hopes to grow overtime to become a PM.

He believes that getting a foot in the HF world, considering how hard it is to break in, would help him grow and move around in the future. 

I offered to post this on WSO so that he can seek guidance from experienced HF guys who might be able to provide valuable guidance.

"1. Is its possible to move from Akuna Capital (Options MM/Prop trading HF) to an MM HF Investment Analyst role? 

       - Is it possible to move from Options MM trader --> HF Investment Analyst

  1. Does Akuna have a strong reputation on the street? I know its one of the new guys, but it seems to be doing really well from what I have read. I am interested in hearing from experienced professionals on whether Akuna might be a great first step on the ladder."

Thank you all in advance for your insight and feedback. I will pass these onto him so that he can make a more informed decision.

Comments (5)

2y 
HCP2IB, what's your opinion? Comment below:

As an ex- strategy consultant, he has strong DD, modelling and financial analysis skills. 

Do you think, combining the technical skills he could potentially gain in this trading role + consulting skillset, would help overcome the lack of a pure play IB/PE track into an L/S HF?

Thanks for your help - if you can elaborate on other alternatives or why its not a good pathway, that would be amazing

2y 
johntitor, what's your opinion? Comment below:

If he wants to be a HF investment analyst, this is not the place to go. Akuna is a derivatives market maker and the skills he will develop there is extremely unique to that business. Most MMs I know stay at one firm or move around a few times within the industry. 

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5mo 
goliath2235, what's your opinion? Comment below:

No, hf requires a completely different skill sets. HFt makes Pennie's trades thousands of times. Hf requires you to understand the market and businesses

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  • Trader in S&T - FI
5mo 

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