Enjoying the great atmosphere on the trading floor

Let’s meet some of the 19 talented FFPs, and hear a little bit about their backgrounds, motivations, and learn what tasks they’ve been working on during their first 4-5 weeks with us. Say hi to Katriina, Miko and Aaro.

Hi, my name is Katriina Keski-Marttunen

I study at the University of Vaasa having Finance as my major and International Business as minor. I will be finishing my last courses next Autumn and writing my thesis during the summer.

I’m currently working in the Nordea Markets FX/MM Sales team in Finland as FFP trainee/Assistant Sales Manager. Some six weeks in to my FFP trainee ship, my tasks consist of two different areas. First, I handle daily FX Flow through different channels, and I have been learning about different products such as Spot, Forward contracts and Swap. To summarize, my main focus is on foreign currencies. It is still early days as a FX dealer, though, as I have only worked 1,5 months here at Nordea – and every day I am learning more and more.

The second area, I work within is less tied to currency, as I am dealing CP bills and Finnish municipal bills in the money market. It has been really interesting to get to know more about the Finnish money market, and how Nordea operates between investors and issuers. Through my work with money market, I have gained more understanding of the current market movements and how they might impact customers.

A great jump-start to a career in finance

I have previously worked at Nordea as summer trainee in two different teams; Customer Service and Issuer Services, and I think that has been a great advantage for me. Even though my tasks have varied during my career at Nordea, every team has taught me valuable things about working in a sometimes hectic and constantly changing environment. I have also learned a lot about myself as an employee, and I have got to develop my skillset in the field of finance.

My experience from working here at Nordea has been/is great, and especially for students and recent graduates, Nordea is a great jump-start to a career in finance. The working environment is supportive, fun and ambitious. I already have a lot of responsibility in my everyday work, and it makes me feel as a valued employee and co-worker.

Hi, I’m Miko Hassinen (23)

Background: I have just recently graduated as a BSc in Accounting from University of Jyväskylä. In the coming fall, I will start my masters studies in the Erasmus University Rotterdam in Netherlands, and switch my major to finance.

Currently, I work as an Assistant Sales Manager in Nordea Markets Fixed Income team. As a FFP in Fixed Income Sales, I serve Finnish institutional investors. Although the customers are from Finland, we cover the Nordic bond market which provides an opportunity to grasp wider understanding of the overall Nordic market.

What my day at the Markets trading floor might look like?

My typical morning starts with few meetings as the Fixed Income team is scattered around in different Nordic countries. After morning meetings, I assist my colleagues with different ad-hoc tasks and execute orders. During the day I talk with our customers, read research papers, and monitor markets just to name few of my tasks. It has been rewarding to really feel the market not only by staring at the computer screen, but also by actually communicating with other professional investors.

It has been really insightful to be a FFP in Fixed Income, as I get to work in international environment and get to be on top of the constantly changing Nordic credit market. However, that is just a indicative description of my tasks as my days vary a lot. I study the markets a lot during the day and chat with people from other desks to widen my knowledge outside of the credit market. Even though the trading floor can be quite hectic at times, the atmosphere is relaxed and everybody is really friendly and more than happy to give insight into their specialities.

Best things about being an FFP

As I did not have much knowledge about the credit market before joining Nordea Markets, the learning curve has been steep.

Since the first day, I have been encouraged to “bother” others with my questions to ensure my continuous learning and get the most out of my summer in Nordea dealings floor. As they say, “The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does not ask, is a fool for life” -Confucius. 

Another great factor are my fellow FFP colleagues. Right from the first week, we have shared weekly after- work-drinks together, on top of the planned events Nordea has in store for us. As most of us come from different backgrounds, it has been really interesting to get to know each other and learn about their line-of-work.

So far, my summer life as FFP has been a wonderful experience, and I cannot wait to learn about financial markets more in-depth and hang-out with FFP colleagues both on the Trading Floor in Vallila and in pubs in spare time.

Hi, I’m Aaro Koski

Background: I am in the process of finalizing my Master’s studies in Finance at Warwick Business School in the UK. I have previous work experience from financial management and business development related roles and one previous internship in banking.

I work in the Markets Derivatives Coverage team, focusing on the exciting world of interest rate derivatives. The team provides customized solutions to help our clients hedge their interest rate risks with different products, such as swaps, swaptions and tailored collars. The interest rate market has fluctuated quite a lot lately and this has kept the team busy and the days filled with interesting cases.

At the moment, my days are mostly filled with pricing calculations and material preparation for clients. I have also gotten to shadow client meetings as I do not yet have dealing rights myself. There is also a lot of learning to be done every day to get comfortable with all the different software’s, products and customer profiles.

Fast-paced environment and great atmosphere

Markets are moving all the time and therefore every day at the desk is different. This means that one must be quick to adapt to changing situations and able to learn as you go. I would say that eagerness to learn is one of the most important things to have when working on the trading floor. Interest rates is a very broad topic that takes years to master but luckily the team is filled with industry experts who help and guide you towards the goal of being a future finance professional.

The atmosphere on the trading floor is great, and people are easily approachable. I have been here only for a few weeks, and already feel like I have learned loads of new things. I can only imagine what the coming months will entail.

To conclude, the work offers a great deal of challenges that enhance the understanding of the financial markets. Yet, the FFP programme is not only about work, and there is a good amount of fun involved. This is ensured e.g. by the Fun Managers, who are in charge of organizing different events for all FFPs during the summer.

Stay tuned for the upcoming blog by Joonas, telling about the FFPs first joint social event, and hear what the dedicated Fun Managers had arranged for the interns' first get-together (perhaps it includes sauna ...!).