I am not going to argue with the fact that quants do have years of experience, but I know of quite a few quants that moved onto trading. A few examples - Espen Haug (see http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?WRD=Espen+Haug&userid=2YEVOJTCVX&cds2Pid=946 ), now a prop trader with JPM-Chase, used to be a world-class quant. Amir Sadr used to be a head quant with MS, lateer founded a company producing IR analytics (Panalytix) now a trader at Greenwich Capt. Many if not the majority exotic derivatives traders (myself included) a ex-quants, and for some areas, you have to combine actual development with trading.
Well, an example of falure is not indcative - there are very serious quantitative traders, you just have not met them. Well, you are talking about different skills - the fellow in question might go on to some stat arb fund. You were looking for a straight trading position - different skills apply.
sorry, i had to laugh at most of these post. I have towards for you and you do the rest. Renaissance and B.A.M., do ur research look them up. ( i cant go into detail on this site) They are looking for Quant guys. Renaissance is all quant except two, who are actually have trading backgrounds. B.A.M. has far more people with trading backgrounds but they are always looking for good quant guys. Once you get their background, Renaissance will be a hard one to find out about, B.A.M. a bit more easy, IM me in privite, i will tell you who to speak with. As far as ET goes.........its a FUCKING JOKE.......be forwarned. peace:
hedgeco.com, hedgefund.com, hedgeworld.com and hedgefund.net all good sources to start at....good luck.
First of all your post is barely decipherable. If you think ET is a joke then why are you posting here ? Adding you to ignore list ...
Like I said, I dont know of a example of truly qualified people in these areas that moved over to be traders. The true experts that drive new results and techniques dont want to be traders since they are expert applied mathematicians and financial design engineers. They come up with the ideas and let other people do the day to day work of executing trading strategies. Plus, all the people I know that are truly gifted in these areas love the work. Trading is quite a different job in which they are just not interested - and dont need to be since their skills are in demand.
Hey, aren't we all? So, splitting the atom looks a little stale these days? Or may be you are thinking that making money on the markets is easier then doing something meaningful in physics? Let me let you in one secret: You need to know a 100 times more, be a 100 times stronger person, you need to educate your self everyday and struggle constantly to break even in trading. Does it sound appealing? If it does then make this choice and stay by it! Bite the bullet and start learning. This industry attracts the best minds in the world because it presents the toughest challenge! It also attracts the top scam artists of the world because we are all s-o-o-o-o-o-o gullible! If you succeed in trading then physics will a walk-in-the-park to you.
Uhmmm .... Well, with all due repsect, your goals in physics must not be high. Physics - that is valuable need-to-be-done investigation to advance the field and not just another grant proposal - is very challenging since the most important areas have no published material from which to work and require truly new invention and this typically takes years of work at poverty level wages. So, if you really want a challenge, try being a research physicist in a new area of invention not supported by grants. I have done both and physics is by far more challenging and adventuresome than constructing financial trading systems. However, since I enjoy both activities, I find that the latter allows me to have a family - and to spend time with them. Also, after a time hanging around with a bunch of bitter, pessimistic, divorced, workaholics - most of the scientists I have known - loses its charm.
I'd have to agree that telling a PhD in physics who is looking to get into the trading industry to go Bright, Andover, Hold, etc and negotiate a good deal is pretty funny! There are a lot of better ways for a person with those credentials to get into trading, like hedge funds and companies looking for quants.