Alexandra’s Trader Interview
Tell us about your background
I am 23 years old and was educated at Stowe School, Alderley Edge School for Girls and City, the University of London where I gained a high 2:1 in LLB Law. My reasoning for taking Law was to give me an insight into the corporate world. After graduating I moved to Gibraltar to work at the Gibraltar Stock Exchange where I initially worked in Risk before moving into a Junior Trader position. I found this incredibly interesting but the trading department was a small part of GSX’s business model so in order to deepen my knowledge and ability I wanted to join a company whose main business is trading. I applied to Alphachain Capital and have been here since January 2020. I am interested in current affairs and how they affect global markets. I find trading stimulating and challenging and hopefully very rewarding.
Why did you apply to Alphachain?
I decided to relocate back to London which is one of the three biggest capital markets in the world. I began to research trading firms and the marketplace for trader jobs. After several interviews at other firms, Alphachain impressed me the most with their trading style, culture, trading floor, and potential compensation package if successful.
What has been your best performing day and why?
My best day was the day I passed 1% on my account. As a relatively new trader, I am still in the process of refining my strategy and on days where my strategy works and the changes I have made by analysing my performance are very good days.
What has been your strengths while managing a funded account?
Trading requires discipline and a strong character. I have successfully been able to control my emotions during trading and not let personality bias’s get in the way, which is not an easy task. I also have successfully managed not to overtrade and have the ability to leave my screen both when things have gone my way and they haven’t.
What has been your worst performing day and why?
Every strategy has a hit rate which unfortunately means a % of the time your trades will not be successful and you will lose money on them. It doesn’t mean you are doing anything wrong but it just means that you will not always be right. For me these losses tend to come in ‘waves’ and on my worst performing day, I lost 4 trades in a row.
What has been your weakness while managing a funded account?
It is easy to get frustrated at time to time when a trade is not going your way, but it is important to manage that frustration.
When do you feel stressed and why?
It can be stressful when you are experiencing losing trades as trading is very black and white and you are aware at the end of every day exactly how you have performed which is not necessarily the case in other professions. However, I do not carry this stress into other areas of my life and leave it at work and start the next day fresh.
What challenges have you faced?
During the COVID-19 pandemic the markets were very erratic and challenging.
Which benefit have you enjoyed the most at Alphachain and why?
The training I received in my first month at Alphachain was excellent and the ongoing development is also excellent and very engaging. Alphachain are constantly helping you to learn more about trading and to improve your knowledge. The support when you move onto your funded account is very helpful and you never feel alone even when working remotely.
What areas will you be looking to improve?
I am constantly striving to improve my hit rate and to refine my strategy so that it works at the best of its ability.
Where do you see yourself in a year’s time?
I would like to be on one of the higher funded accounts at Alphachain and would also like to expand my portfolio to be able to trade other parts of the financial markets such as commodities and indices.
