I was the City’s highest earning trader – but it nearly killed me
Insider tales from Wall Street and the City: These two sharp memoirs give a glimpse of the steep rewards — and downsides — of working at the summit of the financial sector
A young man – the protagonist is traditionally male – goes to Wall Street to seek his fortune. He suffers a hazing ritual on a raucous trading floor. He endures this and gains the respect of other traders, then earns his first, delicious bonus. He is soon taking frightening risks, and triumphs at first. Finally, he fails and is disgraced, coming to grasp afterwards that money is a false god.
There have been many such tales over the years and publishers are eager for them. An inside glimpse of the high-pressure, high-reward, ultimately disillusioning life of traders is more tantalising than the average literary submission. Such tales also provide a satisfying shot of Schadenfreude about the angst of the bonus-making classes for the rest of us.
Financial Times
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