How can a management trainee contribute at rates market making?

I got placed at the rates desk, and besides reading everything and trying to learn as much as i can about fixed income, I don't think i'm contributing much. Any ideas on what i could do? How did you guys start on the trading floor?

My background is only so much as a fresh undergrad out of school, with a short stint on the dealing desk at money market.

I thought of doing the daily updates but we already have a fixed income research team that does that. Still working on understanding what are some of the other things that might affect the bond market besides the normal macro economic news.

Thanks in advance.

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Class of '28 Aug 2026 Cohort

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“John listened before giving advice. I told him I had accepted an offer at Bank of America but was still interested in JLL and Wellington. Instead of telling me what to do, he asked what I wanted from my career and helped me think about which path would give me more options. I also liked that he was honest about what he knew and didn’t know. He gave me a clear reason to keep working toward JLL, while reminding me that Bank of America was still a good place to start. When I practiced my interview answer, he told me what worked and gave me one simple way to improve it. That made the feedback easy to use. Most of all, John made me feel less stressed about figuring everything out right now. He offered to help with a mock interview too, which meant a lot to me. ”

Class of '28 Apr 2026 Cohort

5.00/5

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“The mentor provided extremely detailed and thoughtful feedback throughout our session. What I appreciated most was that the advice was not generic. He took the time to understand my background, past experiences, and the specific roles I am currently recruiting for, and then tailored his suggestions accordingly. He also connected many of his recommendations to his own professional background and experiences, which made the feedback much more practical and credible. Instead of simply telling me what to change, he explained why certain answers or approaches would be more effective and how an interviewer might interpret them. He also shared specific examples from his own experience to illustrate his points. I came away from the session with a much clearer understanding of both my strengths and the areas I should improve, as well as several concrete ways to strengthen my interview preparation. Overall, the session was extremely helpful, personalized, and actionable, and I would definitely work with him again.”

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How can a management trainee contribute at rates market making?

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