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Sales trader vs floor broker

The differences between sales traders and floor brokers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a sales trader and a floor broker. Additionally, a sales trader has an average salary of $108,427, which is higher than the $70,084 average annual salary of a floor broker.

The top three skills for a sales trader include equities, derivative and institutional clients. The most important skills for a floor broker are customer orders, NYSE, and order flow.

Sales trader vs floor broker overview

Sales TraderFloor Broker
Yearly salary$108,427$70,084
Hourly rate$52.13$33.69
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs19,73618,097
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 85%Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Average age4343
Years of experience66

Sales trader vs floor broker salary

Sales traders and floor brokers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Sales TraderFloor Broker
Average salary$108,427$70,084
Salary rangeBetween $63,000 And $185,000Between $41,000 And $117,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NY-
Highest paying stateNew York-
Best paying companyMerrill Lynch-
Best paying industryFinance-

Differences between sales trader and floor broker education

There are a few differences between a sales trader and a floor broker in terms of educational background:

Sales TraderFloor Broker
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 85%Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Most common majorFinanceFinance
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Sales trader vs floor broker demographics

Here are the differences between sales traders' and floor brokers' demographics:

Sales TraderFloor Broker
Average age4343
Gender ratioMale, 82.4% Female, 17.6%Male, 89.7% Female, 10.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 5.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 12.4% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 5.8% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 10.2% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between sales trader and floor broker duties and responsibilities

Sales trader example responsibilities.

  • Price, trade and risk manage equity derivatives including OTC single stock options and list options.
  • Manage business, sales, marketing, international negotiation and communication for a commodities business.
  • Administer institutional equity accounts and expedite customer order flow for the NYSE, NASDAQ and OTC marketplace.
  • Trade exchange list and OTC stocks, fixed-income securities and equity derivatives, prior to company sell to UBS.
  • Develop relationships with institutional clients in equities primary and secondary markets.
  • Transact institutional equity and derivative trades on behalf of alternative investment funds.
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Floor broker example responsibilities.

  • Retail trader, fix income securities; manage client account activity; properly allocate client funds to appropriate investment options
  • Specialize in both equities and list option trading.
  • Participate in stock index futures arbitrage program between NY and Chicago.
  • Trade proprietary money for commodities clearing house in all commodities and equities markets.
  • Well verse in the pricing and valuation of derivative securities with a strong knowledge of mathematical and statistical analysis.
  • Arbitrage duties: receive, collate, and process orders from firms and traders that brokers execute in the pit.
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Sales trader vs floor broker skills

Common sales trader skills
  • Equities, 8%
  • Derivative, 7%
  • Institutional Clients, 6%
  • Trade Execution, 6%
  • Client Relationships, 5%
  • Equity Trades, 5%
Common floor broker skills
  • Customer Orders, 16%
  • NYSE, 14%
  • Order Flow, 13%
  • Client Relations, 6%
  • Institutional Clients, 5%
  • Market Trends, 4%