Canadian ALM Trading Intern - Advice?
Hi,
I'm currently interning on an ALM desk with one of the big five Canadian banks. My desk consists of traders managing a fixed income portfolio for liquidity management, BASEL III HQLA compliance, issuance, and cash management. I'd say there's a 60-40 split between focus on pnl and focus on the ops component.
I really like the work and the people, and if possible hope to return for FT. My only concerns though are that long-term compensation on this desk might not be as hot as on market making desks. It's definitely a quieter desk than others.
In terms of my skill set, I have a generic finance background, with strong academics, and a beginner level knowledge of programming (strong vba + excel). WSO repeatedly advises to look for opportunities on vol desks, and I'm not sure if this desk would leave that door open (I think only one person has a background with vol and one with swaps). Long term, I'm interested in macro trading, and would love to go to New York to trade.
Any advice is appreciated. This is kind of pressing as my MD asked me how I'm doing and liking it, and told me to think about whether I'm interested in this or would want to meet other desks for FT opportunities. I'm pretty sure he'd be supportive of either.