trader vs. quant trader, which role makes more money?

Nowadays banks have several types of traders, the traditional traders, and the quant traders, does anybody know which side makes more money?

My understanding is that the quant traders are often in the prop-trading positions, and doing some sort of statistical modeling and predictions, backtesting and trading strategies. Especially with the high frequency stuff, the quants are doing all the automatic trading and market making sutff, not sure how much money can these types of traders make? Will the star quant traders make as much as money as the star traditional traders(like 10 million plus dollars)?

6 Comments
 

the one with the better P/L

The answer to your question is 1) network 2) get involved 3) beef up your resume 4) repeat -happypantsmcgee WSO is not your personal search function.
 

Smarter? No. You need to react better, shrug off losses, and have ice running through your veins. Smart is definitely a pre-req, but you don't need to be a Math 55 all-star.

 

Aspernatur qui et voluptatem error inventore soluta. Dolor ut facilis sed quia repellendus nulla in. Aspernatur vel architecto et assumenda vero.

Repudiandae fugiat aut sint mollitia rerum quod. Quia et velit qui at est optio. Nesciunt veritatis beatae aliquid nobis et consectetur et. Cupiditate similique enim nostrum est delectus architecto quidem neque. Doloribus cum possimus blanditiis et fugit cupiditate sit. Dignissimos officiis eligendi rerum sed aperiam animi.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.9%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (56) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 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

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
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”