Starting as a Trader

Evening all,

I'm starting this summer as a S&T SA on a rotational scheme. I'm more interested in the Trading side and I'll be looking to work on two different Trading desks.

One of the desks I'm very keen to work on is European Equities, so it only leaves one other desk to work on and I'm interested to know which desks you guys think are the hottest (as in most action/trades/capital) right now.

So if you were starting your career in S&T again, which desk(s) would you choose in this current climate?

For what it's worth I was leaning towards High yield bonds for my second choice, but obviously I lack a lot of the experience you guys have.

4 Comments
 

Asset classes come in and out of favor over time - everything is cyclical. The hottest ones generally qualify for the "Most Likely in a Bubble" award.

Is there an electronic trading platform rotation? If so, I would get some exposure to that group. It's amazing how much trading is moving away from high touch toward the machines. I fully expect that trend to continue as were are still in the early innings.

 
Best Response
jqbuysideAsset classes come in and out of favor over time - everything is cyclical. The hottest ones generally qualify for the "Most Likely in a Bubble" award.

Is there an electronic trading platform rotation? If so, I would get some exposure to that group. It's amazing how much trading is moving away from high touch toward the machines. I fully expect that trend to continue as were are still in the early innings.

Thanks for the replies so far guys.

I suppose then a better question to ask would be, is it more advantageous to cut your teeth on a certain desk and then that makes it "easier" if you decided to go into another asset class?

If not, I think I'll just stick to my initial interests which were Equities and High Yield Bonds.

Funnily enough, I interviewed with two guys who were algorithmic traders, so I'll see if I can get in touch with them.

 

Fugiat velit expedita eos qui. Explicabo expedita reiciendis fuga cumque ut reprehenderit. Omnis ab quis laboriosam tempora.

Modi itaque sint provident voluptatibus. Qui error modi omnis aut. Commodi dolorem cumque qui voluptatem delectus repellendus.

Eaque iure laboriosam in quo voluptatibus. Et ratione nemo non sequi amet. In necessitatibus numquam aut consequuntur. Necessitatibus sit quo sit dolorem dolorum rerum possimus.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (51) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (26) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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

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...”