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The differences between commodity traders and foreign exchange traders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a foreign exchange trader has an average salary of $115,133, which is higher than the $93,220 average annual salary of a commodity trader.
The top three skills for a commodity trader include commodities, commodity trading and logistics. The most important skills for a foreign exchange trader are manage risk, equities, and foreign exchange products.
| Commodity Trader | Foreign Exchange Trader | |
| Yearly salary | $93,220 | $115,133 |
| Hourly rate | $44.82 | $55.35 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 10,906 | 17,829 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Commodity traders can be businesses or individuals that mainly focus on investing in oils, gold, or agricultural products. They keep up with the news on commodities to ensure that they know the different forces that determine their prices and use their technical analysis skills to decide to enter or exit trading decisions based on the current trend. These traders often use a futures contract to buy or sell commodities from any category at a predetermined price and time in the future.
The foreign exchange market is volatile and influenced by numerous factors. A foreign exchange trader considers these factors and utilizes them in their favor. They typically take care to predict misvaluations of currencies accurately. They act on the conclusions reached from their analysis and either buy or sell assets in different markets. This position requires diligence and patience.
Commodity traders and foreign exchange traders have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Commodity Trader | Foreign Exchange Trader | |
| Average salary | $93,220 | $115,133 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $156,000 | Between $66,000 And $199,000 |
| Highest paying City | Stamford, CT | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New Hampshire | New York |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | Paul Hastings |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a commodity trader and a foreign exchange trader in terms of educational background:
| Commodity Trader | Foreign Exchange Trader | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Finance | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between commodity traders' and foreign exchange traders' demographics:
| Commodity Trader | Foreign Exchange Trader | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.3% Female, 12.7% | Male, 79.6% Female, 20.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.3% Asian, 12.2% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 5.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 12.3% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |