Book Description

“A hands-on introduction to what happens on the Street—if you are entering or thinking of joining the financial industry . . . this book is a must.” —Nikunj Kapadia, Professor, Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts Amherst Written by an experienced trader in a clear, conversational style and assuming no previous background in finance, The Practical Guide to Wall Street provides a thorough schooling in the core curriculum of the equity and equity derivatives sales and trading business—exactly what you’d learn sitting beside the traders at a tier-one Wall Street investment bank (except that in practice, traders rarely have time to provide such detailed explanations!). Topics include: Clear, detailed, intuitive explanations of all major products, their function, pricing and risks (several unavailable elsewhere despite producing billions in annual revenue for Wall Street) The layout of the trading floor, the roles and responsibilities of the different sales and trading groups, and how they interact to service the client business An overview of the structure of the macro-economy and the trader’s perspective on the significance of economic data releases and their impact on the financial markets A review of those concepts from fundamental valuation and financial statement analysis of greatest relevance on the trading floor (as opposed to abstract valuation models) Practical details of the structure and functioning of the equity and derivative markets including translations of trader jargon, Bloomberg tips, market conventions, liquidity and risk considerations, and much more This book provides the first comprehensive explanation of all aspects of the functioning of the equities division, with information, details, and insights previously available only to those who already worked on a trading floor. In a format accessible to non-professionals, it fundamentally changes the level of knowledge employers in the industry can expect of new hires.