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Proprietary trader vs foreign exchange trader

The differences between proprietary 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 $100,019 average annual salary of a proprietary trader.

The top three skills for a proprietary trader include technical analysis, equity markets and equities. The most important skills for a foreign exchange trader are manage risk, equities, and foreign exchange products.

Proprietary trader vs foreign exchange trader overview

Proprietary TraderForeign Exchange Trader
Yearly salary$100,019$115,133
Hourly rate$48.09$55.35
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs54117,829
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 81%Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Average age4343
Years of experience--

Proprietary trader vs foreign exchange trader salary

Proprietary traders and foreign exchange traders have different pay scales, as shown below.

Proprietary TraderForeign Exchange Trader
Average salary$100,019$115,133
Salary rangeBetween $60,000 And $165,000Between $66,000 And $199,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYNew York, NY
Highest paying stateNew YorkNew York
Best paying companyD. E. Shaw groupPaul Hastings
Best paying industryFinanceFinance

Differences between proprietary trader and foreign exchange trader education

There are a few differences between a proprietary trader and a foreign exchange trader in terms of educational background:

Proprietary TraderForeign Exchange Trader
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 81%Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common majorFinanceBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Proprietary trader vs foreign exchange trader demographics

Here are the differences between proprietary traders' and foreign exchange traders' demographics:

Proprietary TraderForeign Exchange Trader
Average age4343
Gender ratioMale, 95.7% Female, 4.3%Male, 79.6% Female, 20.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 5.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 12.5% White, 66.1% 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 Percentage6%6%

Differences between proprietary trader and foreign exchange trader duties and responsibilities

Proprietary trader example responsibilities.

  • Manage business, sales, marketing, international negotiation and communication for a commodities business.
  • Perform qualitative research on potential risk arbitrage positions and subjectively choose equities for inclusion in a risk arbitrage portfolio.
  • Research market strategies and trends using Bloomberg.
  • Develop quantitative driven proprietary models by Bloomberg BLP / API and VBA programming.
  • Research and develop convertible bond pricing application for convertible arbitrage trades.
  • Assess market conditions within the equities market in order to maximize profitability.
  • Show more

Foreign exchange trader example responsibilities.

  • Manage overall risk for FX online dealer during Asia shift.
  • Communicate with brokers to ensure accurate allocations for futures, foreign exchange, and equities between separately manage accounts.
  • Experience using Bloomberg, Reuters, and FX trading platforms.
  • Display subject matter expertise in Reuters, Bloomberg, EBS, and various foreign exchange platforms.
  • Use of Reuters, CQG and Knight-Ridder computer services.
  • Validate transaction and trading details with international banks and multiple ECN trading platforms.
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Proprietary trader vs foreign exchange trader skills

Common proprietary trader skills
  • Technical Analysis, 12%
  • Equity Markets, 10%
  • Equities, 9%
  • Financial Markets, 8%
  • Portfolio, 8%
  • Fundamental Analysis, 4%
Common foreign exchange trader skills
  • Manage Risk, 35%
  • Equities, 17%
  • Foreign Exchange Products, 12%
  • Foreign Currency Transactions, 8%
  • Technical Analysis, 3%
  • Fundamental Analysis, 2%