Futures trader to commodity trader
A futures trader already meets 77% of what the commodity trader role asks for. The move turns on 3 required skills not yet in the profile.
22.8/ 100
1 How much of what a commodity trader is expected to do is already part of a futures trader’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 commodity trader role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A commodity trader role treats 10 of its required skills as things a futures trader already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- analyse economic trends
- analyse financial risk
- analyse market financial trends
- commercial law
- economics
- financial jurisdiction
What stands in the way is 3 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 21 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A commodity trader role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a futures trader background worth leading with.
- already held operate financial instruments management skills
- already held international trade business, administration and law
- already held forecast economic trends information skills
- already held analyse economic trends information skills
- already held commercial law business, administration and law
- already held negotiate sale of commodities communication, collaboration and creativity
All 21 carried skills, including the 10 the commodity trader role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 6 missing skills fall into 4 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 negotiate with stakeholders required
- optional, not held negotiate buying conditions optional
- optional, not held negotiate price optional
- still to learn trading software required
- still to learn handle financial transactions required
- optional, not held international business optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a commodity trader role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 trading software study this
- 02 handle financial transactions practise this
- 03 negotiate with stakeholders 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 21 skills that carry over
- already held analyse economic trends skill
- already held analyse financial risk skill
- already held analyse market financial trends skill
- already held commercial law knowledge
- already held economics knowledge
- already held financial jurisdiction knowledge
- already held financial markets knowledge
- already held international trade knowledge
- already held negotiate sale of commodities skill
- already held perform financial risk management in international trade skill
- already held actuarial science knowledge
- already held banking activities knowledge
- already held financial forecasting knowledge
- already held financial products knowledge
- already held forecast economic trends skill
- already held international commercial transactions rules knowledge
- already held maintain records of financial transactions skill
- already held negotiate sales contracts skill
- already held operate financial instruments skill
- already held statistics knowledge
- already held trace financial transactions skill
3 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held international business optional
- optional, not held negotiate buying conditions optional
- optional, not held negotiate price optional
4 held skills the commodity trader role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role international law knowledge
- not needed by the target role securities knowledge
- not needed by the target role trade future commodities skill
- not needed by the target role trade securities skill
2 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 trading software required
- optional, not held international business optional
Common questions about this move
Can a futures trader become a commodity trader?
Yes, and it is an adjacent move. A futures trader already covers 77% of what a commodity trader is expected to do: 21 skills carry over, 10 of which the commodity trader role treats as required.
What skills does a futures trader need to become a commodity trader?
3 required skills are missing, plus 3 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is trading software.
How hard is the move from futures trader to commodity trader?
Its learning distance is 22.8 out of 100, which is the adjacent 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.