Investment Analyst to Equities Trader

Summary: 1 of the 6 core skills listed for Equities Trader carry over directly from Investment Analyst, and 1 more build on related experience. The US median salary changes by +58% ($95K → $150K). Difficulty: Challenging, typically around 9 months of focused upskilling.

The two roles

Investment Analyst: Research and analyze investment opportunities, providing recommendations to portfolio managers and clients.

Equities Trader: Execute buy and sell orders for stocks and equity securities on behalf of clients or proprietary accounts. Growth outlook +3%; AI-augmented (AI changes how the work is done, not whether it exists). Typical education: bachelor. Typical experience: 2-5 years.

Skills that carry over

• Financial Modeling

Builds on related experience

• Bloomberg Terminal — builds on Equity Research

Skills to learn for Equities Trader

• Market Analysis
• Risk Management
• Quick Decision Making
• Technical Analysis

Salary comparison (median, estimated)

Salary figures are estimates benchmarked against public compensation data — see methodology.

Next steps

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Related

Investment Analyst career guide | Equities Trader career guide

Other transitions to consider

• Investment Analyst to Financial Analyst — 3 of the core skills carry over
• Investment Analyst to Energy Analyst — 3 of the core skills carry over
• Investment Analyst to Investment Banker — 4 of the core skills carry over
• Investment Analyst to Mergers & Acquisitions Analyst — 4 of the core skills carry over
• Cryptocurrency Analyst to Equities Trader — 4 of the core skills carry over
• Hedge Fund Manager to Equities Trader — 4 of the core skills carry over
• Energy Trader to Equities Trader — 4 of the core skills carry over
• Fixed Income/Bond Trader to Equities Trader — 2 of the core skills carry over