This work is about how to raise capital while taking as little risk as possible
After studying economics and finance, Maxim worked for several overseas companies before returning to Nice, his hometown, where he became an independent trader. And it works!
We won't see him roll up his shirt sleeves and gesticulate sweatily like the perfect New York golden boy. It's 10 a.m. on the trading floor in Nice, and 31-year-old Maxim is quietly sipping his coffee while turning on his computer. Of course, dozens of graphic images appearing on six screens that are turned on one after another can impress the visitor, but the young man wants to reassure himself and, above all, become an educator.
"I'm driven by success, not money"
"My job is to raise capital while taking as little risk as possible," he says. I position myself in a market that is changing in price and I study the changes shown in the tables. I buy a financial product (stock, bond, currency) at a convenient time in order to resell it at a higher price and thus make a profit." name with his capital, others belong to investors.He is currently speculating in a Swiss investment group.
He would like to clarify: "be careful, I do not strive to make as much money as possible! I have an ethic, I do not want to get rich at any cost and immensely. I "trade" relatively small amounts (several tens of thousands of euros) and, most importantly, "I don't influence prices. Simply put, I don't increase market volatility. I do this craft out of passion. It's all about the excitement, the satisfaction of winning, and the confirmation that my strategy is right."
He developed his own strategy with a friend, a trader like him, and met him in London. Their specialty is: don't go too far with losses while staying sensible and measured. He now teaches this way of working. He set up a center for teaching people how to trade.
On the trading floor in Nice, six computer screens show Maxim the stock prices. Its mission is to buy or resell a financial product in order to make a profit. // © Jean-Pierre Ame/divergence for the student.
"I've always liked economics, numbers, mental calculation"
He received a revelation in finance only belatedly after receiving his bachelor's degree in economics in 2006. "I've always liked numbers, and I wasn't too bad at math. At the same time, I was fond of microeconomics and world movement, geopolitics. My weaknesses were Law and accounting."
In his third year of undergraduate studies in finance, he pulls himself together: that's what he needs! He then completed a Masters in Financial Engineering 1 from the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis. "There I discover specific instruments of finance, a different world opens up in front of me, and it's exciting! And I clearly tell myself that I want to be a broker, a financial analyst or even a trader. but to become a trader, you need to really prove yourself and get really good masters 2. I knew it was hard to break through." Cheer up so little, and although the places are Dear, Maxim does not let go of anything and goes to the Parisian ESLSCA. He is in his place.
"In five years I have lived in three countries; you need to love to move"
At the age of 24, with a 2 master's degree in his pocket, he applied to the highly qualified Van Der Moolern hedge fund based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. He doesn't go through an internship field, he gets hired directly into a CDI (perpetual contract) with a good salary to start with. The selection is decisive, Maxim clings: each round of selection is a test, physical and psychological. “First, I took mental arithmetic tests, digital kits, and a three-hour interview on financial markets and general culture.
The selection continues in the Netherlands, entirely in English, where my motivation and stress resistance were tested. The psychologist also observed my reaction in the classroom in a work situation. It was intense!" The young man is strong, he does not understand himself and withstands the blow. Bingo, he was hired. After several months of training in simulation, he returns to the reality of work "with happiness and joy."
He thrives and discovers a "fun and exciting" craft. However, Maxim remains in search of other adventures and opportunities. London calls him: he is changing the business and integrating Trading and High Rate, where he develops new strategies. “Yes, it is true, we are moving very strongly in this sector. We are going where there is an opportunity.
My goal is to progress, develop and achieve more. In addition, Amsterdam and London are cities with excellent quality of life. It is impossible to imagine that traders spend their entire day working behind their screens. No, we also have leisure and freedomnew time".
"I choose independence, I wanted to be my own boss"
After these two experiences as an employee, he is called upon to cooperate as a discretionary trader for the family association. He is asked to move to Switzerland, not far from Geneva. "Let's just say the atmosphere was calmer than in England, but the work was exciting!" He still has a few months to finally get what is dear to him: to "trade" from Nice on his own in foreign accounts and with the help of his own capital. "There was an opportunity to communicate with former colleagues at work. We opened a trading floor, we "trade" and teach people our strategies. I no longer want to be forced into this."
Today Maxim is happy. He works at his own pace and ends his days at 5 pm. He doesn't think they're that tense. Of course, he manipulates large sums. So what ? Self-confident, he has quite a lot of free time to practice his favorite sports, snowboarding in winter and skydiving all year round. "It's a little cliché, but I love skydiving! Would you believe I have a taste for risk, not at all!" These are, he says, measured risks. Something like trade.
How to become a trader.
Scientific profiles are desirable. Graduation from a major business school (EDHEC, HEC, INSEEC...) or an Engineering school (Polytechnic, Central...) is an advantage.
It is highly recommended to finish with a specialization in financial markets. The Master's Degree in Financial Markets at Paris-Dauphine University is particularly highly regarded. For example, some students improve their curriculum with a master's degree in mathematics and statistics. It goes without saying that English proficiency is essential.
Maxim route in 5 dates.
2003, Nice, 2006, economic license, Nice-Sophia-Antipolis, 2008, MSc Trading, finance and international Trading, Paris, ESLSCA BS, 2010-2012, trader in London and Geneva, 2013, independent trader , creator of the training center, Nice.
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