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Trader vs investment banker

The differences between traders and investment bankers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an investment banker has an average salary of $162,715, 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 an investment banker are financial services, discounted cash flow, and capital markets.

Trader vs investment banker overview

TraderInvestment Banker
Yearly salary$90,179$162,715
Hourly rate$43.36$78.23
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs17,35128,460
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 78%Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age4343
Years of experience-4

What does a trader do?

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.

What does an investment banker do?

An investment banker is responsible for selling and issuing securities and financial assets to the stock markets to generate money and raise capital for organizations and financial institutions. Investment bankers also work with private clients to advise them of investment options and financial transactions according to the market's condition and clients' interests. They handle the clients' investment portfolios and create propositions for acquisitions and company mergers. An investment banker must have excellent knowledge of the financial and stock industry, as well as having excellent analytical skills to review statistical data and determine the best financial strategies.

Trader vs investment banker salary

Traders and investment bankers have different pay scales, as shown below.

TraderInvestment Banker
Average salary$90,179$162,715
Salary rangeBetween $56,000 And $144,000Between $95,000 And $276,000
Highest paying CityWhite Plains, NYBoston, MA
Highest paying stateNew YorkAlaska
Best paying companyThe CitadelCiti
Best paying industryFinanceReal Estate

Differences between trader and investment banker education

There are a few differences between a trader and an investment banker in terms of educational background:

TraderInvestment Banker
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 78%Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common majorFinanceBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Trader vs investment banker demographics

Here are the differences between traders' and investment bankers' demographics:

TraderInvestment Banker
Average age4343
Gender ratioMale, 82.1% Female, 17.9%Male, 76.2% Female, 23.8%
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, 5.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 12.4% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between trader and investment banker duties and responsibilities

Trader example responsibilities.

  • Manage Smithtown branch office ensuring compliance with NASD regulations.
  • Manage and hedge generation within PJM, MISO, and ERCOT.
  • Manage options trading to ensure a positive ROI within a volatile market.
  • Initiate and manage financial, physical and virtual trades resulting in a positive PnL.
  • Manage products with the supply chain warehouses and interface with both corporate logistics and common carriers.
  • Coordinate MBS and whole loan delivers to ensure settlements are achieve to minimize extension and pair off fees.
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Investment banker example responsibilities.

  • Utilize Bloomberg system and company proprietary research to actively monitor portfolios and manage trading activities to achieve customers' goals.
  • Provide service for existing brokerage accounts, manage accounts, annuities, and securities-base lines of credit.
  • Attain NMLS identification number for mortgage origination.
  • Generate reporting data from Salesforce platform to facilitate growth and manage firm operations.
  • Manage customer portfolios, service relationships, and used profiling analysis tools to identify cross-selling opportunities.
  • Manage a variety of internal initiatives including merchandising, cross-selling, customer retention programs and promotional campaigns.
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Trader vs investment banker skills

Common trader skills
  • Portfolio, 13%
  • Financial Markets, 6%
  • Derivative, 5%
  • Fixed Income, 5%
  • Equities, 4%
  • Securities, 4%
Common investment banker skills
  • Financial Services, 6%
  • Discounted Cash Flow, 6%
  • Capital Markets, 6%
  • Financial Statements, 6%
  • Client Relationships, 4%
  • Securities, 4%