Securities trader to securities analyst
A securities trader already meets 68% of what the securities analyst role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.
37.6/ 100
1 How much of what a securities analyst is expected to do is already part of a securities 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 securities analyst role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A securities analyst role treats 16 of its required skills as things a securities trader already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- actuarial science
- advise on investment
- analyse economic trends
- analyse financial risk
- analyse market financial trends
- develop investment portfolio
What stands in the way is 5 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 25 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A securities analyst role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a securities trader background worth leading with.
- already held advise on investment communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held monitor stock market information skills
- already held perform stock valuation information skills
- already held forecast economic trends information skills
- already held develop investment portfolio management skills
- already held examine credit ratings information skills
All 25 carried skills, including the 16 the securities analyst role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 17 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 fundamental analysis required
- still to learn asset management required
- optional, not held commercial law optional
- optional, not held cryptocurrency optional
- optional, not held investment banking optional
- optional, not held financial statements optional
- optional, not held international financial reporting standards optional
- still to learn collect financial data required
- still to learn consult information sources required
- optional, not held consult credit score optional
- optional, not held provide cost benefit analysis reports optional
- still to learn quantitative analysis required
- optional, not held liaise with board members optional
- optional, not held communicate with banking professionals optional
- optional, not held liaise with managers optional
- optional, not held present reports optional
- optional, not held Monte Carlo simulation optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a securities analyst role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 fundamental analysis study this
- 02 asset management study this
- 03 collect financial data 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 25 skills that carry over
- already held actuarial science knowledge
- already held advise on investment skill
- already held analyse economic trends skill
- already held analyse financial risk skill
- already held analyse market financial trends skill
- already held develop investment portfolio skill
- already held economics knowledge
- already held financial markets knowledge
- already held financial products knowledge
- already held investment analysis knowledge
- already held modern portfolio theory knowledge
- already held monitor stock market skill
- already held obtain financial information skill
- already held review investment portfolios 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 examine credit ratings skill
- already held forecast economic trends skill
- already held handle financial transactions skill
- already held interpret financial statements skill
- already held perform stock valuation skill
- already held statistics knowledge
12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held commercial law optional
- optional, not held consult credit score optional
- optional, not held cryptocurrency optional
- optional, not held investment banking optional
- optional, not held liaise with board members optional
- optional, not held Monte Carlo simulation optional
- optional, not held communicate with banking professionals optional
- optional, not held financial statements optional
- optional, not held international financial reporting standards optional
- optional, not held liaise with managers optional
- optional, not held present reports optional
- optional, not held provide cost benefit analysis reports optional
13 held skills the securities analyst role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role accounting techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role communicate with customers skill
- not needed by the target role financial jurisdiction knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain records of financial transactions skill
- not needed by the target role make investment decisions skill
- not needed by the target role offer financial services skill
- not needed by the target role office software knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform financial market business skill
- not needed by the target role provide financial product information skill
- not needed by the target role tax legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role trace financial transactions skill
- not needed by the target role trade securities skill
- not needed by the target role write work-related reports skill
9 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 fundamental analysis required
- still to learn asset management required
- still to learn quantitative analysis required
- optional, not held commercial law optional
- optional, not held cryptocurrency optional
- optional, not held investment banking optional
- optional, not held Monte Carlo simulation optional
- optional, not held financial statements optional
- optional, not held international financial reporting standards optional
Common questions about this move
Can a securities trader become a securities analyst?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A securities trader already covers 68% of what a securities analyst is expected to do: 25 skills carry over, 16 of which the securities analyst role treats as required.
What skills does a securities trader need to become a securities analyst?
5 required skills are missing, plus 12 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by business, administration and law. The single most important is fundamental analysis.
How hard is the move from securities trader to securities analyst?
Its learning distance is 37.6 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.