Flow Trader

As a Flow Trader, you execute client orders in financial markets. Unlike proprietary traders who take positions for profit, you focus on executing customer business efficiently — minimizing market impact, achieving best execution, and managing the risk that comes from large orders. You work at the intersection of client service and trading skill.

Your day centers on executing order flow. You receive orders from sales, determine execution strategy, work orders into the market, and communicate with clients about execution progress. For large orders, this requires careful planning — breaking orders into smaller pieces, timing execution, and managing information to avoid moving the market against your client.

The hardest part is the balance between speed and impact. Clients want fast execution, but large orders moved too quickly hurt prices. You need market intuition about when and how to execute, technical skills to use trading systems effectively, and communication skills to keep clients informed. The people who thrive here have strong market sense, handle pressure well, and build client trust through consistent execution quality.