Financial Quantitative Analysts

Also called: Investment Strategist, Portfolio Manager, Quantitative Analyst

Career Cluster: Finance
What they do:
Develop quantitative techniques to inform securities investing, equities investing, pricing, or valuation of financial instruments. Develop mathematical or statistical models for risk management, asset optimization, pricing, or relative value analysis.
On the job, you would:
  • Apply mathematical or statistical techniques to address practical issues in finance, such as derivative valuation, securities trading, risk management, or financial market regulation.
  • Research or develop analytical tools to address issues such as portfolio construction or optimization, performance measurement, attribution, profit and loss measurement, or pricing models.
  • Interpret results of financial analysis procedures.
KNOWLEDGE

Engineering and Technology
  • computers and electronics
Math and Science
  • arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics
Arts and Humanities
  • English language
Business
  • accounting and economics
SKILLS

Basic Skills
  • using math to solve problems
  • thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem
People and Technology Systems
  • thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one
  • figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it
Problem Solving
  • noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
ABILITIES

Math
  • choose the right type of math to solve a problem
  • add, subtract, multiply, or divide
Ideas and Logic
  • use rules to solve problems
  • make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information
Verbal
  • read and understand what is written
  • communicate by writing
PERSONALITY

People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out.

They do well at jobs that need:
  • Analytical Thinking
  • Integrity
  • Attention to Detail
  • Persistence
  • Initiative
  • Achievement/Effort
TECHNOLOGY

You might use software like this on the job:

Object or component oriented development software
  • C#
  • Perl
Presentation software
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
Analytical or scientific software
  • IBM SPSS Statistics
  • The MathWorks MATLAB
EDUCATION


master's degree or bachelor's degree
usually needed
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JOB OUTLOOK


Bright
New job opportunities are very likely in the future.


Salary:
High: $139,960.00
Median: $78,310.00
Low: $43,510.00
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