Image of career: Trader

Trader

Overview

Traders analyse market trends, develop investment strategies, and buy or sell financial assets for clients.

Description

  • Develop trading strategies to maximise organisation profit.
  • Stay updated on financial tools and relevant market sectors.
  • Analyse market sentiments, verify financial instruments, and report key findings.
  • Execute trades and financial transactions using the organisation's capital efficiently.
  • Ensure all trades follow company policies and local trading regulations.

Entry requirements

  • You'll need a Bachelor's Degree, ideally in Business, Economics, Finance, or quantitative majors like Mathematics, Physics, or Engineering.
  • It is good to start learning about trading and global financial markets early.

Salary

$3,000 – 6,000

/mo

Salary ranges are estimated based on public information found on Singaporean job portals, including MyCareersFuture, MySkillsFuture. Updated as of 2026.

Trivia

There are optimal times to trade, especially for foreign exchange. Knowing these timings means you won't waste time staring at charts for small gains.

What to expect

Being a trader requires time and concentration. Be prepared to work long hours and stay focused and calm during stressful situations.

Soft
skills

Decision Making

Ability to think quickly and effectively in high pressured situations.

Sense-Making

Able to interpret marketing information and trends.

Emotional Resilience

Able to stay calm and think clearly under pressure for effective decision-making in unpredictable markets.

Market Analysis

Ability to analyse market data and trends to make informed trading decisions and identify chances to make profit.

Price Assessment

Skilled in verifying trading prices and evaluating trading activities to determine profitability and conduct financial assessments.

Risk Management

Capability to understand and manage potential risk to protect investments.

Hard
skills

Desmond Leong, CEO & Founder of Everest Fortune Group & The Forex Army
"I believe peak performance requires stress, the stress plus rest equals to progress."

Desmond Leong, CEO & Founder of Everest Fortune Group & The Forex Army

DollarsAndSense.Sg

Frequently asked questions

Like many finance jobs, it may be. Due to stock market uncertainty, traders work in fast-paced environments, executing real-time trades under pressure.

Traders may only work when stock markets are open, typically 9am-5pm depending on country. If trading in different markets, working hours may vary accordingly.

One common method is fundamental analysis, where traders analyse factors affecting asset value and make decisions based on if the asset is under or overvalued.

Risk management helps traders identify, assess, and reduce potential risks to protect investments and minimise losses.

Compensation varies by firm and industry, but traders typically receive a combination of both salary and commission.