AccountancyISCO 3311

Securities trader

A securities trader is a person who buys and sells securities such as stocks, bonds and shares, either on their own account or on the account of an employer, on the basis of their expertise in the financial markets. The trader monitors how the securities traded are performing and judges whether they are stable or speculative.

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Rate 5 of the 16 essential skills of this occupation (European ESCO data). No account needed.

analyse market financial trends

perform financial market business

analyse economic trends

write work-related reports

monitor stock market

About securities trader

Reading the market is the substance of the role. The trader works from a knowledge of the financial markets, of securities as instruments and of economics, analyses economic trends and forecasts them, and monitors the stock market. Here a forecast leads to a position with real money behind it.

Judging an instrument is a separate skill from judging a direction. The trader assesses the stability or the speculative tendency of what is being traded, and actuarial science informs how risk in an instrument is quantified rather than described.

Administration is an essential part of the work. The trader records and files every securities transaction and takes care of the associated financial documents. Offering financial services belongs to the role where the trader acts in a client-facing capacity rather than only on their own account.

European Skills Framework

Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.

Essential (16)

securitiessecuritiesThe financial instruments traded in financial markets representing both the right of property over the owner and at the same time, the obligation of payment over the issuer. The aim of securities whic...economicseconomicsEconomic principles and practices, financial and commodity markets, banking and the analysis of financial data.financial marketsfinancial marketsThe financial infrastructure which permits trading securities offered by companies and individuals govern by regulatory financial frameworks.stock marketstock marketThe market in which shares of publicly held companies are issued and traded.modern portfolio theorymodern portfolio theoryThe theory of finance that attempts to either maximise the profit of an investment equivalent to the risk taken or to reduce the risk for the expected profit of an investment by judiciously choosing t...actuarial scienceactuarial scienceThe rules of applying mathematical and statistical techniques to determine potential or existing risks in various industries, such as finance or insurance.financial jurisdictionfinancial jurisdictionFinancial rules and procedures applicable to a certain location, whose regulatory bodies decide on its jurisdiction.communicate with customerscommunicate with customersRespond to and communicate with customers in the most efficient and appropriate manner to enable them to access the desired products or services, or any other help they may require.analyse market financial trendsanalyse market financial trendsMonitor and forecast the tendencies of a financial market to move in a particular direction over time.perform financial market businessperform financial market businessPerform or monitor business operations on the money market and on the capital market such as the lending or receiving of deposits, swap transactions or short selling.analyse economic trendsanalyse economic trendsAnalyse developments in national or international trade, business relations, banking, and developments in public finance and how these factors interact with one another in a given economic context.write work-related reportswrite work-related reportsCompose work-related reports that support effective relationship management and a high standard of documentation and record keeping. Write and present results and conclusions in a clear and intelligib...monitor stock marketmonitor stock marketObserve and analyse the stock market and its trends on a daily basis to gather up-to-date information in order to develop investment strategies.offer financial servicesoffer financial servicesProvide a broad range of financial services to clients such as assistance with financial products, financial planning, insurances, money and investment management.forecast economic trendsforecast economic trendsGather and analyse economic data in order to predict economic trends and events.handle financial transactionshandle financial transactionsAdminister currencies, financial exchange activities, deposits as well as company and voucher payments. Prepare and manage guest accounts and take payments by cash, credit card and debit card.

Optional (22) — show

financial productsfinancial productsThe different types of instruments that apply to the management of cash flow that are available on the market, such as shares, bonds, options or funds.banking activitiesbanking activitiesThe broad and continuously growing banking activities and financial products managed by banks ranging from personal banking, corporate banking, investment banking, private banking, up to insurance, fo...statisticsstatisticsThe study of statistical theory, methods and practices such as collection, organisation, analysis, interpretation and presentation of data. It deals with all aspects of data including the planning of ...accounting techniquesaccounting techniquesThe techniques of recording and summarising business and financial transactions and analysing, verifying, and reporting the results.investment analysisinvestment analysisThe methods and tools for analysis of an investment compared to its potential return. Identification and calculation of profitability ratio and financial indicators in relation to associated risks to ...office softwareoffice softwareThe characteristics and functioning of software programs for office tasks such as word processing, spreadsheets, presentation, email and database.tax legislationtax legislationTax legislation applicable to a specific area of specialisation, such as import tax, government tax, etc.trace financial transactionstrace financial transactionsObserve, track and analyse financial transactions made in companies or in banks. Determine the validity of the transaction and check for suspicious or high-risk transactions in order to avoid mismanag...make investment decisionsmake investment decisionsDetermine whether to buy or sell financial products such as fonds, bonds or stocks in order to enhance profitability and to reach the best performance.perform stock valuationperform stock valuationAnalyse, calculate and appraise the value of the stock of a company. Use mathematic and logarithm in order to determine the value in consideration of different variables.develop investment portfoliodevelop investment portfolioCreate an investment portfolio for a customer that includes an insurance policy or multiple policies to cover specific risks, such as financial risks, assistance, reinsurance, industrial risks or natu...review investment portfoliosreview investment portfoliosMeet with clients to review or update an investment portfolio and provide financial advice on investments.create a financial plancreate a financial planDevelop a financial plan according to financial and client regulations, including an investor profile, financial advice, and negotiation and transaction plans.advise on investmentadvise on investmentAssess the customer's economic goals and advise on the possible financial investments or capital investments to promote wealth creation or safeguarding.interpret financial statementsinterpret financial statementsRead, understand, and interpret the key lines and indicators in financial statements. Extract the most important information from financial statements depending on the needs and integrate this informa...maintain records of financial transactionsmaintain records of financial transactionsCollate all the financial transactions done in the daily operations of a business and record them in their respective accounts.examine credit ratingsexamine credit ratingsInvestigate and look for information on the creditworthiness of companies and corporations, provided by credit rating agencies in order to determine the likelihood of default by the debtor.obtain financial informationobtain financial informationGather information on securities, market conditions, governmental regulations and the financial situation, goals and needs of clients or companies.advise on financial mattersadvise on financial mattersConsult, advise, and propose solutions with regards to financial management such as acquiring new assets, incurring in investments, and tax efficiency methods.trade securitiestrade securitiesBuy or sell tradable financial products such as equity and debt securities on your own account or on behalf of a private customer, corporate customer or credit institution.provide financial product informationprovide financial product informationGive the customer or client information about financial products, the financial market, insurances, loans or other types of financial data.analyse financial riskanalyse financial riskIdentify and analyse risks that could impact an organisation or individual financially, such as credit and market risks, and propose solutions to cover against those risks.

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Frequently asked questions

What does a securities trader do?

Securities traders purchase and sell securities such as stocks, bonds and shares on their own account or on their employers account based on their expertise in the financial markets. They monitor the performance of the securities traded, assessing their stability or speculative tendencies. They record and file all securities transactions and take care of their financial documents.

What skills does a securities trader need?

A securities trader needs 16 essential skills, including securities, economics, financial markets, stock market, modern portfolio theory.

Will AI replace securities trader jobs?

The AI disruption score for securities trader is 85/100 (very high risk). Skills most exposed to automation: accounting techniques, maintain records of financial transactions, write work-related reports. Most resilient: office software, handle financial transactions, statistics.

AI Replacement Risk

85/ 100

Very High Risk

Low riskHigh risk

Skills most at risk from AI

accounting techniques maintain records of financial transactions write work-related reports

Skills resilient to automation

office software handle financial transactions statistics

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Quick Facts

SectorAccountancy

ISCO GroupBusiness and administration associate professionals

Essential Skills16

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