If you are looking to break into the global markets division of an investment bank, it is vital when it comes to your applications and your interviews that you build a solid understanding of how the financial markets work. It may be true that some hiring managers prefer completely fresh interns/graduates that they can mold in the way they want to. However, since the number of applicants greatly surpasses the number of available junior global markets positions you will need to stand out other candidates and understanding how the markets work is a great way to do so. In this post, you will be introduced to three apps that will teach you about the financial markets. That way you can learn on the go or get your phone out during boring lectures and learn what you will actually be needing in your future profession. TheStreet TheStreet.com is a financial markets news platform that provides daily updates on global economics, market-moving news and market analysis. TheStreet also has a free smartphone app that anyone who wants to follow the markets and current affairs can download on their iOS or Android mobile phone. Whether you want to read about the Snapchat IPO or you want to read tips on investing, the TheStreet app covers all of that. If you can show in your responses during your interview that you have an interest in the capital markets by talking about current market-driving events and are able to interpret or at least have an opinion on how they will affect the markets, you will definitely stand out from the crowd. eToro eToro is the world’s leading ‘social trading’ platform. Social trading is a new form of online investing that allows users of social trading networks to copy the trades of successful traders on the platform in a fully automated manner. In other words, you can choose a range of profitable traders whose trades you want to copy, deposit capital in your account, spread it across your chosen traders and let the platform copy the traders' trades and performance. While this is an excellent way to earn investment income without the need of having in-depth market knowledge, it also provides you with a great opportunity to learn about trading and different asset classes as you can interact with other users, including the traders you follow on the platform to discuss their trading strategies. As the name suggest, social trading combines financial trading and social media networks and are, therefore, a great way to learn about the market while also potentially earning investment income. MoneyBox Another great app to download, if you want to learn more about investing and the financial markets while generating an investment income is the MoneyBox App. MoneyBox is a new UK robo advisor that invests your spare change into a diversified ETF portfolio by linking to your bank account and rounding up all your purchases to the nearest pound. The rounded up amount is then put into your ETF portfolio. MoneyBox is a great way to get started as a small investor but it also teaches you important aspects of institutional investing and portfolio management as you can see what type of ETFs MoneyBox invests in for you in relation to your risk profile. This will teach you what a real live diversified portfolio looks like in 2017, which can help you during your interviews for sales & trading positions and also if you get interviews for buy-side positions. Using smartphone apps to help you learn about the markets is a great way to prepare for interviews. Yes, you need to know the theory and financial concepts that you learn at university but the more practical and applicable knowledge you can bring to the table during an interview the better.
That way you can learn on the go or get your phone out during boring lectures - something that happens at Cass quite often haha
