Could someone enlighten the world of equity derivatives for me..

I recently had the pleasure of networking with a BB trader and one of the things he told me is that he thinks one of the best seats to get on a trading floor is a position as an equity derivatives trader, especially if you're interested in transitioning to a macro fund.

Any idea why/if this is true?

I have a rough idea what the job entails; trading of non-linear equity products and ETF's. I have also read that this desk is normally filled with extremely bright and quick witted individuals and that there is quite high turnover. But that is essentially the extent of my knowledge.

So I was hoping someone would elaborate on the job as a whole.
Specifically, why it is a good place to get a macro skill set, compared to FX or Rates?
Is there any opportunity to take risk?
Is it becoming more automated? (I know allot of HFT firms that specialise in being a MM in ETF's, are they the major players in the market?)
Do people normally move to buy sides from this seat? If so, is macro most common and is it usually a PM role or just execution trader?
And do you think it's the best seat on the floor? (I know, controversial!)

(PM me if necessary)

And in advance, thanks for any input into this discussion.

27 Comments
 
Best Response

Incoming equity derivs guy here - personally I would like to know the answers to some of these questions as well. Of what I do know though based on my limited time with the desk thus far, if you have a good understanding of volatility as a proxy for market conditions and how to deal with non-linear products in general, you probably have the type of skill-set that is transferable to a position that deals with many ways of expressing risk - something certainly inherent in macro-oriented trading, which can be rather open-ended. I also believe the non-linear nature of derivatives allows for more risk-taking, simply by virtue of there being more risk to manage- risks which you may choose to either hedge or keep.

I think it's intrinsically a very interesting role and although it's impossible to say whether it's the best seat it is the one I was the most keen on joining after spending a summer at a BB.

 

growing b/c all the other equity stuff is being standardized and exchange-traded. equity derivs. can still be customized into having unique payoffs, etc. as long as it can be hedged, then banks will trade it.

 

excellent,

Does anyone know anything about the market in Asia, as I believe much less of the vanilla options are exchange traded and much of it is still OTC

 

The market is growing, I've mentioned elsewhere that equity derivs are dominated by french banks - Soc Gen especially - with Citi also being pretty good. The treand is for more and more complex exotic products - with accompanying high fees - so lots of money in it.

 

It's nothing amazing from what I understand. Somewhere in the area of 3 - 10k (Sterling) on a good year. The only advantage about being trade / sales support is the opportunity to step into their boots when they get fired.

 

ED can be a great place to be. I've always been in fixed income, but can't think of a bad thing to say about equity derivs. If you have the opportunity to get on a desk, go for it.

 

Deserunt voluptates officia aut ut eaque. Molestiae repellat sint dignissimos molestias ipsam expedita doloribus. Sed impedit voluptatem velit. Qui sit doloribus aspernatur velit. Modi qui deserunt quia iure commodi blanditiis quae.

Consequatur minus sint voluptatem et exercitationem aut. Provident facere ut vero veniam maxime. Eum delectus dolorem eum laborum facilis laudantium. Ut enim modi animi dolores quo.

Reiciendis atque est maiores ratione delectus. Repellendus sit voluptate quod hic qui excepturi distinctio. Voluptate eveniet quia quo et laborum. Ut quia laudantium aut suscipit.

Quis est ut repudiandae delectus. Et dolorem suscipit quia aliquam consequuntur illum maiores.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

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

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $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...”