Finance & economics | Buttonwood

The faster metabolism of finance, as seen by a veteran broker

Prices are set at the margin. And the marginal trader is a hedge-fund manager

A FEW YEARS ago a stranger sidled up to me at a conference. I had been introduced as an equity salesman with over 30 years of experience. “Success or failure?” he asked impishly. I laughed. When I started in stockbroking, anyone older than 50 carried an air of defeat. If they hadn’t made enough money to retire early, they were seen as losers. Well, I’m still here and I’m not the only one. There is a lot more grey hair on the sales desks these days.

This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “Sexagenarians and the City”

Beware the bossy state

From the January 15th 2022 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from Finance & economics

A person turns on a garden hose in an effort to save a neighboring home from catching fire during the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, USA.

The Los Angeles fires will be extraordinarily expensive

They will also expose California’s faulty insurance market

The stars of the European Union flag falling down to the bottom of the flag.

Europe could be torn apart by new divisions

The continent is at its most vulnerable in decades


A bond flying away tied to a red balloon, in the spotlight.

How corporate bonds fell out of fashion

The market is at its hottest in years—and a shadow of its former self


An American purchase of Greenland could be the deal of the century

The economics of buying new territory

China’s markets take a fresh beating

Authorities have responded by bossing around investors

Can America’s economy cope with mass deportations?

Production slowdowns, more imports and pricier housing could follow