Job description

Foreign exchange (FX) dealing refers to the buying and selling of currencies. The FX market is an international Over The Counter market which deals specifically with the trading of currencies. There is no physical FX market and trading takes place between buyers and sellers for 24 hours per day throughout the week. Because of the time difference between different territories, it is almost always possible to trade in currencies as there will always be someone willing to trade somewhere around the globe. The FX market has benefited hugely from the widespread availability of fast internet connections and improved connectivity and the market, which was once the preserve of large international banks, is now open to traders of all sizes, including small scale individual investors. Although the large banks still dominate the FX markets, other participants include:

• Commercial companies: organisations that trade across borders have an incentive to trade on the FX markets when buying and selling goods in different currencies.
• Central banks.
• Hedge funds.
• Investment management firms.
• Individual FX dealers.

Job opportunities in FX trading include:

• FX Sales.
• Analyst.
• Treasurer.
• Market Risk Manager.
• FX Strategist.
• FX Broker/Trader.
• FX Structurer.
• Compliance Officer.

Qualifications

As with many roles in the city, a good academic record will be useful for candidates looking to gain a foothold in FX trading. To be successful in FX dealing you need to be able to work in highly pressurised environments, to understand markets in depth and to identify economic and political trends and shifts and calculate how these will affect your market.

Do you work in FX trading? Would you like to contribute to our "Day in the Life of..." series? Email us at info@topfinancialjobs.co.uk for more details.