( Apart from some late evening placings you have to coordinate with your PM ’ s ). Tomorrow is a new day with new prices and new flows … this is a market with constant changes so there is always something exciting happening out there ! Plus …. I do not have to go to bed with a lot of positions every night !
Around four hours ’ drive north of Stockholm , in the middle of the deep forest , close to the Swedish mountains , is my place for contemplation and relaxing . My wife and I have an old farm house up in northern Dalecarlia . Once or twice a month during the year we go up there just to recharge our batteries , work on the house , take long walks with our dogs which is a great contrast to the often long and hectic trading hours at the office .
The good thing with sitting on a centralized trading desk is that you are in the middle of the action , more particularly , you are the action ! For example when you have managed to buy or sell a very large block at a very good price , everyone is pleased . You , your broker , your PM and hopefully later , the shareholder !
Earlier , ( around 15 years or so ago ), trading systems were not as developed and “ safe ” as they are today . Back then we could have made simple trading errors such as buying instead of selling or trading the wrong stock . Turning off your screen at market close and leaving the office on such a day is not a great feeling .
Today ’ s trading systems have a lot of “ safety nets ” built in so it ’ s more or less impossible to make trading errors … even on a very hectic day !
I think to be able to do this job you must know your markets and of course your brokers who covers them . It ’ s also important to make sure they know you , so when you approach them , they should know what your preference is . Experience , humour and humility takes you a long way !
Winter 2017 www . buysideintel . com
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