New Beginnings

So here I was on the 5.51am train out of Surrey heading towards Waterloo for my first day at "Flatcap" inter-dealer brokers. Dressed in a crisp white shirt, freshly ironed Moschino suit, silk Hermes Tie and parade ground polished Cesare Paciotti shoes. There was a sharp tinge in my mouth and I could feel tight knots forming in the pit of my stomach, I was nervous. It had been 5 months since that fateful day when all hell broke loose on our 2nd floor trading desk at Peterborough court. Certain structures were mis-priced and the accompanying I-rate hedges were invalid. Not to mention the fact that certain un-named person(s) were trading way beyond their authority. It felt like it couldn't get any worse but then it did, all those years of studying and obtaining the right qualifications while others partied and got "high" at university, just to reach the rarefied world of this hallowed bank's trading desk, shattered within a matter of hours. Never mind my 5 month sojourn had resulted in re-charged batteries and a far leaner and muscular physique thanks to the local gym. But I digress, as I walked up to reception and notice the stunning receptionist, I inform her Hxxxxx Xxxx is here, it's my first day, she gives me a warm friendly smile and tells me "Charlie" will be down in 5 mins to come get you. Having never met "Charlie" I wonder what he would be like but I didn't have long to wait. I see this squattish man hurriedly walking down the escalator heading in my direction, wearing what seem like horn rimmed Oliver Peoples spectacles. He comes upto me gives me a firm handshake, which I reciprocate and asks me to follow him, my mind automatically ticks into gear I find myself thinking to myself "Welcome to the Jungle" and wonder what I have let myself in for.

Charlie walks at a brisk pace, the kind of pace all young money hungry traders on every trading floor in the city move at. It wouldn't matter if they were making or losing money, the un-written rule is to walk at a brisk pace and look as if you are teetering on the edge of the abyss. We walk into a room where a meeting has already started and seems to be led by the man who hired me. I take a seat and it's the usual morning meeting, we discuss what happened overnight in Asia, the desk strategist throws in his two cents worth of where he see's today's European trading day going, a few people throw some ideas into the mix, which a few others roundly criticise and laugh out. The meeting slowly peters out once the leader of this wolf pack goes out to make a phone call and some of the traders start discussing last night drinking antics. One trader then starts discussing his latest sexual conquest which he quite happily informed everyone was in the back seat of his shiny new BMW M5, I notice a female broker and she seems to sneer at the graphic details of this only for the brokers in the room to pick up on this and to turn their venom and attention towards her. At the moment I feel like I am a guest an imposter in their midst as they haven't acknowledged me or my presence. I keep my ears tuned and eyes wide open trying to pick up any imperceptible clue of Hierachy. In every group of individuals there are people you can shit on and others who shit on you, it's best to identify who is who early so you don't shit on the wrong person and find a P45 heading your way. To quote the great film rounders "If you can't spot the sucker in the first half hour at the table, then you ARE the sucker"

The meeting ends and everyone slowly files out G'ing themselves up for what will no doubt be a gruelling day of wheeling dealing. As I follow "Charlie" out of the room "Adam" (the man who hired me a.k.a the Silverback gorilla, the alpha male on this trading floor ) intercepts me and tells me how great it is that I joined today and all my logons and passwords and databases should be set-up, this is a patent lie as he hasn't bothered setting me up on anything, it's upto me to chase and get this done but I politely nod and thank him giving him my standard spiel of not being able to wait to start contributing P+L wise, he nods and says "yeah you better". I get to my desk and all the nerves and sickly feelings disappear as the warm intermittent glow of my dealerboard and 4 screens shine onto me.....oh yeah I'm back in the cut-throat world of trading, the dream is still alive.