Commodity broker to securities broker
A commodity broker already meets 67% of what the securities broker role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.
34.6/ 100
1 How much of what a securities broker is expected to do is already part of a commodity broker’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the securities broker role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A securities broker role treats 14 of its required skills as things a commodity broker already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- actuarial science
- advise on financial matters
- analyse financial risk
- analyse market financial trends
- apply technical communication skills
- economics
What stands in the way is 6 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 22 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A securities broker role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a commodity broker background worth leading with.
- already held operate financial instruments management skills
- already held forecast economic trends information skills
- already held provide financial product information communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held modern portfolio theory business, administration and law
- already held review investment portfolios communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held maintain records of financial transactions information skills
All 22 carried skills, including the 14 the securities broker role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 12 missing skills fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn securities required
- still to learn stock market required
- optional, not held accounting optional
- optional, not held tax legislation optional
- still to learn assess risks of clients' assets required
- still to learn obtain financial information required
- optional, not held perform stock valuation optional
- optional, not held provide support in financial calculation optional
- still to learn trade securities required
- optional, not held communicate with customers optional
- still to learn create a financial plan required
- optional, not held electronic communication optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a securities broker role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 assess risks of clients' assets practise this
- 02 create a financial plan practise this
- 03 obtain financial information practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 22 skills that carry over
- already held actuarial science knowledge
- already held advise on financial matters skill
- already held analyse financial risk skill
- already held analyse market financial trends skill
- already held apply technical communication skills skill
- already held economics knowledge
- already held financial jurisdiction knowledge
- already held financial markets knowledge
- already held financial products knowledge
- already held forecast economic trends skill
- already held handle financial transactions skill
- already held maintain records of financial transactions skill
- already held protect client interests skill
- already held review investment portfolios skill
- already held banking activities knowledge
- already held build business relationships skill
- already held communicate with banking professionals skill
- already held modern portfolio theory knowledge
- already held operate financial instruments skill
- already held provide financial product information skill
- already held statistics knowledge
- already held trace financial transactions skill
6 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held accounting optional
- optional, not held communicate with customers optional
- optional, not held electronic communication optional
- optional, not held perform stock valuation optional
- optional, not held provide support in financial calculation optional
- optional, not held tax legislation optional
12 held skills the securities broker role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse economic trends skill
- not needed by the target role analyse energy market trends skill
- not needed by the target role commercial law knowledge
- not needed by the target role financial forecasting knowledge
- not needed by the target role international commercial transactions rules knowledge
- not needed by the target role international trade knowledge
- not needed by the target role negotiate buying conditions skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate price skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate sale of commodities skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate sales contracts skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate with stakeholders skill
- not needed by the target role perform financial risk management in international trade skill
5 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn securities required
- still to learn stock market required
- optional, not held accounting optional
- optional, not held electronic communication optional
- optional, not held tax legislation optional
Common questions about this move
Can a commodity broker become a securities broker?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A commodity broker already covers 67% of what a securities broker is expected to do: 22 skills carry over, 14 of which the securities broker role treats as required.
What skills does a commodity broker need to become a securities broker?
6 required skills are missing, plus 6 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by business, administration and law. The single most important is assess risks of clients' assets.
How hard is the move from commodity broker to securities broker?
Its learning distance is 34.6 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.