Not quite sure if you can make out the yellow mark over my head, but that's me standing in-between the guy writing and the bald guy (approximately in the middle of the picture).

You think trading is dificult sitting by yourself in front of a screen? Imagine trading in the Bond pit on; an average day... about 700 traders!

how about sitting in front of a screen with another 1400 traders

Silvester17 

how about sitting in front of a screen with another 1400 traders

You want the politically correct and polite answer or do you want to know how I truly feel?

tigertrader 

You want the politically correct and polite answer or do you want to know how I truly feel?

Mike

tigertrader 

You want the politically correct and polite answer or do you want to know how I truly feel?

how about both

Big Mike 

Mike

As a rule there has always been a long-standing, mutual lack-of-respect between independent floor traders (who trade and risk their own capital) and institutional desk traders (who trade anything but their own capital). Sure, their jobs and careers and benefits are on-the-line, but so what, their money isn't! It's a kind of, if you're going to talk-the-talk; you better be able to walk-the-walk... and if you are trading OPM, you ain't walking-the walk.

tigertrader 

As a rule there has always been a long-standing, mutual lack-of-respect between independent floor traders (who trade and risk their own capital) and institutional desk traders (who trade anything but their own capital). Sure, their jobs and careers and benefits are on-the-line, but so what, their money isn't! It's a kind of, if you're going to talk-the-talk; you better be able to walk-the-walk... and if you are trading OPM, you ain't walking-the walk.

yes and no. or true and false.

yes for mutual lack of respect. I always associated floor traders with:



no for "their money isn't". if your job and career is at stake, then sooner or later your money is as well.

Silvester17 

yes and no. or true and false. yes for mutual lack of respect. I always associated floor traders with: Attachment 87529 no for "their money isn't". if your job and career is at stake, then sooner or later your money is as well.

I really think it's a case of a dominant "y" chromosome which is hereditary and passed down to all floor traders. If you're good and you can make consistent money trading, why work for someone...unless you're a pussy, and you are afraid to risk your own dough. Big difference between dropping a million in a day, of your own money, and dropping a million of UBS's billions.

that every one of those people on the UBS desk is 1) an employee 2) on the same team 3) gets paid a salary 4) to a person does not risk a penny of their own money in their daily vocation. If you do not understand any of those four items and how they make these groups totally different then you simply don't understand.