Fixed Income & Commodities

A DAY IN THE LIFE

I selected Fixed Income at Morgan Stanley because…
the people I met were enthusiastic about their jobs and worked as a team.

As a Fixed Income Analyst…
multitasking, decision making, quantitative and communication skills, and teamwork are   essential. I quickly learned entrepreneurial thinking to develop market views and communicate opinions. I am responsible for creating daily market updates for client distribution. Sales and trading calls provide an opportunity to learn improvisation, prioritizing and adjusting to the markets’ ebb and flow.

A typical day…
begins by reading overnight news, sending out inventory levels and evaluating daily analytic packages. As a trader, I use my judgment to execute trades and generate trade ideas. I work with salespeople to keep clients up-to-date and introduce new ideas. After the market closes, I ensure all risk is properly booked and evaluated, run profit and loss (P&L) reports, and update inventory levels. I then complete projects or analysis started earlier in the day, usually focusing on making decisions about trades I’d like to place and whether I am comfortable with my positions and my hedges. I work with researchers to identify new targeted opportunities for individual clients.

Many analysts go on to…  
explore different products and areas within Sales & Trading, while other analysts may remain on their desk.