A fast-growing Indian economy has opened up our financial markets for domestic and foreign investors. Due to the heavy flow of capital and the steady growth of this industry, there are many employment opportunities in this sector. Besides, the increased participation of private players and financial institutions has widened the scope of employment in this field.

Therefore, with increased sophistication of the products and services being offered by the Indian financial markets, a wide range of specialised job opportunities has emerged. At the same time, the financial industry is competitive and it can be a challenge to get into this field.

Still, with the right knowledge and qualifications, you can make it to the position you want, provided you gear yourself up to meet the requirements of the various job positions required to succeed. A good comprehensive programme can prepare you for multiple career options in this domain. If you are interested to eke out a career in the financial industry, but aren't quite clear on what to aim for, here's exploring some of the job options available.

Fundamental Analyst: The job of a fundamental analyst is to follow a list of companies, which typically belong to the same industry, and provide regular research reports to the firm's clients. As part of that process, the analyst will usually build models to project a company's financial results. To develop a comprehensive picture of an industry, an analyst interacts with a company's customers, suppliers, competitors, and other sources with knowledge of the industry. The ultimate outcome of the analyst's work is a research report, a set of financial estimates, a price target, and a recommendation as to the stock's expected performance.

Technical Analyst: A technical analyst is a researcher who analyses investments based on past market prices and technical indicators. They believe that short-term price movements are the result of supply and demand forces in the market for a given stock. For them, the nature of the security is less relevant than the current balance of buyers and sellers. Based on careful interpretation of past trading patterns, technicians try to discern this balance with the aim of predicting future price movements.

Fund Manager: A fund manager is responsible for implementing a fund's investing strategy and managing its portfolio trading activities. Now, investors choose to invest in a fund (e.g. a mutual fund) in order to leave the investment management function to a professional who knows what to buy when and when to sell. Therefore, the quality of the fund manager is one of the key factors to consider when analysing the investment quality of any particular fund.

Portfolio Manager: One of the most coveted careers in the financial industry is that of the portfolio manager. Portfolio managers work with a team of analysts and researchers, and are ultimately responsible for making the final investment decisions. A portfolio manager is a position that a person must work his or her way up to over the course of a career.

Merchant Banker: A merchant banker deals mostly in (but not limited to) international finance, long-term loans for companies and underwriting. Merchant bankers do not provide regular banking services to the general public. They provide advice on initial public offerings (IPOs), mergers, stock repurchases and corporate refinancing. A company selects a merchant bank to be lead manager of a securities offering. Responsibilities here include leading the due diligence and drafting the prospectus. The merchant bank forms a team of third-party specialists, including legal counsel, accounting and tax specialists, financial printers and others. When a company issues publicly traded securities for the first time through an IPO, the merchant bank appoints a research analyst to write a research report and begin ongoing coverage of the company. The report will contain an economic analysis of the business and its prospects given the market for its products and services, competition and other factors.

Forex Trader: Forex markets can be an exciting and lucrative market to trade if you thoroughly understand how to buy and sell currencies. Forex jobs are fast-paced and involve strange work hours and long work days. That's because forex markets are open 24 hours a day, for five days a week. Forex traders require knowledge of, and compliance with, laws and regulations governing financial accounts and transactions.

Forex Market Analyst: A forex market analyst, also called a currency researcher or currency strategist, works for a forex brokerage. The analyst does a thorough research and analysis in order to write daily commentary about the forex market and the economic and political issues that affect currency values. These professionals use technical, fundamental and quantitative analysis to draw up opinions. At the same time, they must be able to produce high-quality content very quickly to keep up with the fast pace of the forex market. Both individual and institutional traders use this news and analysis to make their trading decisions.

Risk Manager: A risk manager is involved in analysing, controlling, or assessing various types of potential risks such as credit risk, market risk, and liquidity risk as well as non-market related financial risks. They perform a broad variety of functions related to risk management within investment banks, asset management firms, as well as in corporations and Government agencies.

(The author is Head – Academics & Product Development, BSE Training Institute Limited)

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