Morgan Stanley E-trading (Fixed Income) vs Options Market Making Firm

I posted it on the S&T forum initially but realized this is a better forum to post it in.

I've been offered a position with the e-trading desk of Morgan Stanley as a strat to develop algorithms that have a direct impact on the PnL, and another job as a Quant Researcher in an options Market-Making proprietary trading firm (not one of the bigger ones, but particularly for a region). I am unable to decide which one to take if I want to continue as a Researcher working on developing models/strategies that generate PnL in the market.

Do you have any ideas about what's better in terms of long-term career prospects? I have experience in academic research and come from a STEM background.

1 Comments
 

Facilis magni ea iusto est esse ut. Vero provident tempore dolorem earum deserunt quae illum dolorem. Dolores qui optio sed aut recusandae perspiciatis quis.

Quod necessitatibus voluptatum et modi. Error molestias tempore provident dolorem enim vitae consequuntur. Incidunt soluta vitae rerum quidem dicta in. Est sit sint enim unde dolores ducimus velit.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”