10 of the Most Popular Types of Professional Trader Jobs in 2026

See what kind of roles similar to Professional Trader jobs are hiring now

Top Types Of Professional Trader Jobs

• Proprietary Trader

  Salary range: $57,500 - $181,000

  A proprietary trader uses a financial firm’s capital to make a direct profit. Traders analyze stock market trends to decide how to trade the money to maximize the initial investment. Traders keep a portion of the profit they make for firms or banks, then continue trading other capital, such as stock market shares, to increase profit margins. Some proprietary traders employ arbitrage, which is when a stock or commodity varies in price in different markets. The trader takes advantage of the price difference to buy in the lower market then sell in the higher market to turn a profit for the firm.

• Forex Trader

  Salary range: $57,500 - $181,000

  As a forex trader, you buy and sell currencies on a foreign exchange market. Your duties include performing research or analysis on a currency pair. Your responsibilities include finding situations in which a forex transaction has a chance to be profitable and carrying out a purchase on a trading platform. Some forex traders make trades at the request of a client. In these cases, you focus on carrying out the transaction as requested. Forex traders can either work for banks and hedge funds or trade independently. Some traders use charts and math for analysis, while others rely on news and economic data.

• Equity Trader

  Salary range: $90,000 - $120,000

  An equity trader performs research and analysis to decide when to buy or sell shares of a company on an equities market. In addition to common stocks, your duties can include trading options, futures, exchange-traded funds, and other derivatives. Equity traders analyze data, look at charts, and ensure that the trade meets the requirements of their employer and government regulations. An equities trader can work for an investment bank, a private equity firm, or other financial institution. Some traders work independently. Your trading responsibilities can focus on one specific industry or type of equity.

• Executive Precious Metals Trading

  Salary range: $58,000 - $120,500

  Executive Precious Metals Trading is a more unusual job search query but still may give you interesting job results. Most salaries for Executive Precious Metals Trading jobs pay between $58,000 (25th percentile) and $120,500 (75th percentile) annually. Currently, there are not many open positions nationwide for Executive Precious Metals Trading job searches hiring now on ZipRecruiter. You can take a look at what is available and find similar job searches in this list.

• Futures Trader

  Salary range: $57,500 - $181,000

  Futures Trader is a common job search query. Most salaries for Futures Trader jobs pay between $57,500 (25th percentile) and $181,000 (75th percentile) annually. You’ll find many open positions nationwide for Futures Trader job searches hiring now on ZipRecruiter.

• No Experience Proprietary Trading

  Salary range: $46,500 - $96,000

  No Experience Proprietary Trading is a more unusual job search query but still may give you interesting job results. Most salaries for No Experience Proprietary Trading jobs pay between $46,500 (25th percentile) and $96,000 (75th percentile) annually. You’ll find many open positions nationwide for No Experience Proprietary Trading job searches hiring now on ZipRecruiter.

• Trader

  Salary range: $56,500 - $105,500

  All trader jobs share common primary responsibilities: to buy and sell financial instruments and assets. The specific job duties you have as a trader depends on the particular sector of trading in which you work. For example, you can find jobs in sell-side trading, buy-side trading, or hedge fund trading. You can become a stock trader, an equity trader, a day trader, a bank trader, or a day trader. As a trader, you can work in the stock market or for an investment bank, an asset management firm, or private clients.

• Stock Trader

  Salary range: $100,000 - $285,000

  A stock trader (also known as a stockbroker, securities trader, or equity trader) researches stocks, then either buys and sells on behalf of their clients. In addition to trading stocks, they network with possible clients; conduct thorough and reliable research; and build trusting, lucrative relationships with investors. A stock traders job is to navigate the complexities of investing in the stock market and guide clients toward sound investments ethically and professionally.

• Entry Level Trader

  Salary range: $56,500 - $105,500

  As an entry-level trader, your responsibilities are to develop different types of investment strategies for clients. Traders can work in many areas of finance, such as commodity, bond, and stock trading. Your specific responsibilities vary depending on the type of trading you do. For example, as a junior commodities trader, your strategy may be to suggest short term investments based on your forecasts for commodity markets. As a bond trader, you research short- and long-term bonds and execute sales that improve the position of your client.

• Execution Trader

  Salary range: $56,500 - $105,500

  Execution Trader is a common job search query. Most salaries for Execution Trader jobs pay between $56,500 (25th percentile) and $105,500 (75th percentile) annually. Currently, there are not many open positions nationwide for Execution Trader job searches hiring now on ZipRecruiter. You can take a look at what is available and find similar job searches in this list.