Trader

Categories: Investing and Trading, Brokerages,

Traders who are dealers or market makers select the securities in which they will specialize and provide quotes on those securities in the marketplace. They commit their firm's capital by taking positions in those securities and are ready to buy and sell at the prices they quote. Traders known as competitive or floor traders buy and sell securities for their own accounts. They don't pay commissions, so they can profit on small differences in price, but they must abide by the rules established by the exchange or market on which they trade. The term trader also describes people who execute transactions at brokerage firms, asset management firms, and mutual fund companies.