For most of my undergraduate years, I had my mind set on a career in Asia so even though I was studying in the US at the time (and thus interviewed with the NY office), I applied for a trading position at the office in Singapore. My belief has always been that finance in Asia is rapidly expanding and will continue to create more opportunities than anywhere else in the world. Considering Flow's Singapore office is also rapidly expanding, it made perfect sense to me to join a company that understands the markets here and that is ready to take on all new opportunities that will arise in the region.
As a proprietary trading firm, we pride ourselves on our market-leading pricing in ETFs and other assets and so our proprietary software and strategies must be running at top efficiency. Maintaining this efficiency throughout day while watching the markets and seizing opportunities is a significant portion of the job during trading hours. Additionally, there are many support departments (IT, Risk, Compliance, etc) within the office and it is every trader's responsibility to work with and communicate with those departments throughout the day. Outside of trading hours, there is time for market news updates, deeper market analysis, and small administrative tasks.
Flow Traders is very proud of its 6-month training program hosted at its HQ in Amsterdam - and it very well should be! An all expenses paid program where you work with the top minds in the ETF trading business in Europe experiencing almost the entire spectrum of products the company is active in. Classroom education is quickly followed by hands on work assisting other traders, and then the responsibilities really ramp up from there. After 6 months, you'll leave the training program with plenty of confidence and a market-leading skill-set applicable at any Flow office.
I've been addicted to the markets for years so having at my disposal all of the technology that one would expect of a proprietary trading firm is certainly my favorite part of the job. Being able to see and take advantage of opportunities before anyone else can is thrilling and really reinforces the fact that we truly are market leaders in the products that we trade.
The regulatory environment in Asia is often strict and worse, sometimes vague, and the number of exchanges we trade on means we can face very different rules on otherwise very similar products. Ultimately, I found it difficult as a new trader in the region to fully grasp everything from the start. Regulatory compliance is absolutely crucial in our business which is why it is fantastic to work with the knowledge staff here in Singapore - all of the regulations had already been read and dissected, my questions were answered, and plenty of documentation and resources were provided for my reference.
You truly work with the best people in the business so it's not surprising to hear that our semi-annual company trips are an absolute blast! Our most recent trip to Koh Samui included a private yacht, quad-ing, plenty of nice meals, and non-stop partying. My favorite part? Flyboarding!