How do you get a job like that? "Experienced oil traders are in heavy demand, and average salary and bonus packages are close to $1 million a year, with top traders earning as much as $10 million." http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/29/b...2c207abc&ei=5094&partner=homepage&oref=slogin
OTC energy is much bigger than exchange traded contracts. swaps on clearport and ICE make nymex open interest almost useless
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) - Rising oil and metals prices haven't just brought in profits for investors; commodities traders are commanding top dollar. Wall Street recruiters said that demand is so high and experience among candidates so short, that some new hires are landing seven-figure signing bonuses and huge guaranteed bonuses. The hiring binge comes as U.S. investors have gobbled up commodities through exchange-traded funds and futures. Investors held $120 billion in April - the second highest amount on record, Citigroup said. So, the call for traders has gone out, but few are to be found. Many left the industry in the late 1990s as stocks soared and commodity prices rarely budged. Even licensed traders these days aren't practicing. "The top is in," said John Person, editor of The Bottom-Line Financial and Futures Newsletter. "Most of the brokers who stayed in the business have turned to online trading and are trading anything other than commodities. A lot of them left the industry went into real estate, anything." The dearth of talented, experienced traders may, in fact, force many companies to build training programs.