Be a commodities trader

Originally Posted by dennis lee

Dear All,

I just come across this forum thread and have couple of question for my doubt. Recently get an offered position of steel assitant trader from steel company. I am doubt about the "trader" position given rather a "dealer/BD" as the company actually is supplier/manufacturer from china and the job scope find the potential client (trading house, manufacture), do contract, follow up L/C, follow up cargo, nego price and liase with internal finance team as well. The trader job scope do not contact in (hedging, manage P/L, risk management). it is rather an ops works scope and only selling side.

May I know the true physical trader of commodity will be in trading house instead?
Possible to switch to trading house with my current experience?

Technically anything is possible. Especially when your father is someone influential. Unfortunately, most of us don’t have such an influential father. I used to believe what people tell me.

What most company do is the segregate the roles, say BD/Marketing/Sales/Trading/Analyst/Credit/Risk/Finance/Ops.

If you want to go far, i believe you need to have good imagination.

Imagine you are a stall owner at hawker centre and you cook chicken rice and sell it and serve it and collection money and give back changes. Then you carry on cutting the chicken and repeat it. In the midday, you wash dishes to free up more plates and do more housekeeping. Month end you pay rental and other bills like electricity and washing of market and year end you pay tax.

Question here is, can you do it by yourself? Technically yes! But you will be busy.

BD/Marketing - You plan your dish and market it. Design signboard and you might wanna participate in carnival by introducing your dish to organiser.
Sales/Trading - Buying rawfood at cost price and selling it at sale price.
Analyst - You montior the crowd to understand which day to rest. How much food to cook etc.
Credit - Paying in cash for rawfood or taking credit. Selling in bulk in cash or credit.
Risk - If buyer is gov't for a grassroot event, say for 100 packets, risk of not paying is low.
Finance - Financial control and reporting tax.
Ops - Preparing the food and cleaning up the place and setting up for new day.

Thus it is possible to switch but chances will be low. Depending on who also applied for the same role you are going for.

1) If the person is direct fit for the role, you are out
2) If they are willing to train, but your product is different, you are out
3) You need a platform (need luck) where your senior is willing to help you improve yourself when you are junior. If you are going for a new role, its unlikely.

Peace outzz

any views about this firm arraco, having opening for

Energy brokers

[sinkingfeeling]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Technically anything is possible. Especially when your father is someone influential. Unfortunately, most of us don’t have such an influential father. I used to believe what people tell me.

What most company do is the segregate the roles, say BD/Marketing/Sales/Trading/Analyst/Credit/Risk/Finance/Ops.

If you want to go far, i believe you need to have good imagination.

Imagine you are a stall owner at hawker centre and you cook chicken rice and sell it and serve it and collection money and give back changes. Then you carry on cutting the chicken and repeat it. In the midday, you wash dishes to free up more plates and do more housekeeping. Month end you pay rental and other bills like electricity and washing of market and year end you pay tax.

Question here is, can you do it by yourself? Technically yes! But you will be busy.

BD/Marketing - You plan your dish and market it. Design signboard and you might wanna participate in carnival by introducing your dish to organiser.
Sales/Trading - Buying rawfood at cost price and selling it at sale price.
Analyst - You montior the crowd to understand which day to rest. How much food to cook etc.
Credit - Paying in cash for rawfood or taking credit. Selling in bulk in cash or credit.
Risk - If buyer is gov't for a grassroot event, say for 100 packets, risk of not paying is low.
Finance - Financial control and reporting tax.
Ops - Preparing the food and cleaning up the place and setting up for new day.

Thus it is possible to switch but chances will be low. Depending on who also applied for the same role you are going for.

1) If the person is direct fit for the role, you are out
2) If they are willing to train, but your product is different, you are out
3) You need a platform (need luck) where your senior is willing to help you improve yourself when you are junior. If you are going for a new role, its unlikely.

Peace outzz

Going to start chicken rice stall now!

Curious - what's the commission like for traders? I have a friend who works as trader but he seems very thrifty and spends very little...