Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between traders and hedge fund traders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a hedge fund trader has an average salary of $117,549, which is higher than the $90,179 average annual salary of a trader.
The top three skills for a trader include portfolio, financial markets and derivative. The most important skills for a hedge fund trader are hedge funds, macro, and derivative.
| Trader | Hedge Fund Trader | |
| Yearly salary | $90,179 | $117,549 |
| Hourly rate | $43.36 | $56.51 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 17,351 | 12,689 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 84% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A trader is responsible for buying and selling financial instruments for a firm or an individual, monitoring stock movements, and analyzing price fluctuations. Traders focus on short-term and long-term trades, depending on their customers' demands and best interests. In some cases, traders also act as financial advisors to their clients, providing financial management support, and handling their account investments. A trader must have excellent knowledge of the financial industry and must be highly-analytical, dealing with consistent changes in the stock market and maintain smart decisions to achieve their clients' financial goals.
A Hedge Fund Trader specializes in developing investment strategies through market research and analysis. Although the extent of their duties depends on their company of employment, it typically includes managing and monitoring market portfolios, trading according to policies and regulations, reaching out to potential business partners through calls and correspondence, discussing terms, and keeping an eye on stock prices. A Hedge Fund Trader must maintain an active communication line with staff for an efficient and fruitful workflow.
Traders and hedge fund traders have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Trader | Hedge Fund Trader | |
| Average salary | $90,179 | $117,549 |
| Salary range | Between $56,000 And $144,000 | Between $68,000 And $201,000 |
| Highest paying City | White Plains, NY | - |
| Highest paying state | New York | - |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | - |
| Best paying industry | Finance | - |
There are a few differences between a trader and a hedge fund trader in terms of educational background:
| Trader | Hedge Fund Trader | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 84% |
| Most common major | Finance | Finance |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between traders' and hedge fund traders' demographics:
| Trader | Hedge Fund Trader | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 82.1% Female, 17.9% | Male, 65.8% Female, 34.2% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 5.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 12.2% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |