Securities analyst to stock trader
A securities analyst already meets 74% of what the stock trader role asks for. The move turns on 3 required skills not yet in the profile.
28.3/ 100
1 How much of what a stock trader is expected to do is already part of a securities analyst’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 stock trader role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A stock trader role treats 13 of its required skills as things a securities analyst already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- actuarial science
- analyse economic trends
- analyse market financial trends
- asset management
- economics
- financial markets
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 22 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A stock trader role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a securities analyst background worth leading with.
- already held cryptocurrency business, administration and law
- already held fundamental analysis business, administration and law
- already held asset management business, administration and law
- already held perform stock valuation information skills
- already held forecast economic trends information skills
- already held develop investment portfolio management skills
All 22 carried skills, including the 13 the stock trader role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 11 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 financial jurisdiction required
- optional, not held holding company activities optional
- optional, not held accounting optional
- optional, not held funding methods optional
- optional, not held tax legislation optional
- still to learn trade securities required
- optional, not held provide financial product information optional
- still to learn trading software required
- optional, not held maintain financial records optional
- optional, not held synthesise financial information optional
- optional, not held trace financial transactions optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a stock 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 financial jurisdiction study this
- 03 trade securities 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 analyse economic trends skill
- already held analyse market financial trends skill
- already held asset management knowledge
- already held economics 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 modern portfolio theory knowledge
- already held perform stock valuation skill
- already held securities knowledge
- already held stock market knowledge
- already held advise on financial matters skill
- already held banking activities knowledge
- already held create a financial plan skill
- already held cryptocurrency knowledge
- already held develop investment portfolio skill
- already held examine credit ratings skill
- already held fundamental analysis knowledge
- already held obtain financial information skill
- already held statistics knowledge
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held holding company activities optional
- optional, not held accounting optional
- optional, not held funding methods optional
- optional, not held maintain financial records optional
- optional, not held provide financial product information optional
- optional, not held synthesise financial information optional
- optional, not held tax legislation optional
- optional, not held trace financial transactions optional
20 held skills the stock trader role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role Monte Carlo simulation knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise on investment skill
- not needed by the target role analyse financial risk skill
- not needed by the target role collect financial data skill
- not needed by the target role commercial law knowledge
- not needed by the target role communicate with banking professionals skill
- not needed by the target role consult credit score skill
- not needed by the target role consult information sources skill
- not needed by the target role financial statements knowledge
- not needed by the target role international financial reporting standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role interpret financial statements skill
- not needed by the target role investment analysis knowledge
- not needed by the target role investment banking knowledge
- not needed by the target role liaise with board members skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with managers skill
- not needed by the target role monitor stock market skill
- not needed by the target role present reports skill
- not needed by the target role provide cost benefit analysis reports skill
- not needed by the target role quantitative analysis knowledge
- not needed by the target role review investment portfolios skill
6 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
- still to learn financial jurisdiction required
- optional, not held holding company activities optional
- optional, not held accounting optional
- optional, not held funding methods optional
- optional, not held tax legislation optional
Common questions about this move
Can a securities analyst become a stock trader?
Yes, and it is an adjacent move. A securities analyst already covers 74% of what a stock trader is expected to do: 22 skills carry over, 13 of which the stock trader role treats as required.
What skills does a securities analyst need to become a stock trader?
3 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by business, administration and law. The single most important is trading software.
How hard is the move from securities analyst to stock trader?
Its learning distance is 28.3 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.