TRADING & FINANCIAL MARKET ANALYSIS 2015
CAREER TRADING WITH AMPLIFY TRADING
A TRADING CAREER AT THE HEART OF GLOBAL FINANCIAL MARKETS
Placed at the forefront of current financial
market volatility, London based trading firm
Amplify Trading delivers an invaluable
opportunity for new traders to develop a wellrespected practical skill-set in today’s financial
industry and an in-depth understanding of
today’s financial markets.
Building on fifteen years of trading experience
Amplify Trading has developed an industry
leading training operation adjacent to its trading
arm. The quality of Amplify’s training is validated
by the fact that we are now integral to the
graduate training programmes at leading
investment banks such as HSBC, Bank of
America, Deutsche Bank and JPMorgan where
Amplify is brought in to help prepare their new
employees for roles within capital markets.
Amplify Trading has worked hard to build a
reputation of excellence and professionalism
within the industry, and we continuously strive
to exceed the expectations of all our clients.
The following pages detail the career trading
programme where candidates spend a minimum
of three months on their own trading desk based
on our trading floor. Career traders will have the
opportunity to spend at least four weeks trading
on the live markets fully backed by Amplify
Trading and receive a competitive profit share
from their trading activity.
Our aim in this programme is to help candidates
become consistently profitable in the live markets
as they manage their risk trading across multiple
asset classes backed by Amplify Trading. We
have developed our live traders through this
programme and believe such intense training
with personal support from professional traders
is the best step a candidate can take to start
trading at an institutional level.
Piers Curran, Head of Trading, monitoring Amplify traders’ positions
INTENSIVE TRAINING TO START YOUR TRADING CAREER
As you start your trading career on a real money account with Amplify Trading, we will make sure you
develop the essential skill-sets needed to manage your positions at an institutional level. You will be
trading our funds, so we work hard to ensure you have the best possible knowledge and support.
Throughout the three months (minimum period) that you will be based on our trading floor we will
ensure you meet the below objectives.

Apply a macroeconomic understanding to trade across international financial markets in
response to breaking financial news and analysis

Understand the fundamental driving factors behind equity, commodity, currency and fixed
income valuations

Learn through practical application the key concepts of portfolio management as you manage
risk across a trading portfolio using institutional trading software

Gain first-hand experience in the importance of behavioural finance and trading psychology
within an environment of uncertainty and risk

Learn to understand and analyse financial markets by applying advanced technical analysis
techniques across asset classes

Gain experience using industry leading software to back-test trading strategies, use linear
regression models and work with Amplify’s proprietary trading algorithms

Apply mentoring support and advice from experienced traders at Amplify. Achieve three
positive weeks out of four in the second month of training in any one of seven different assets
in order to go live in those assets receiving an initial trading margin from Amplify Trading of up
to $18,000.00

Manage your own live trading account from the start of month three and receive 60% of all
profitable activity on that trading account. Receive weekly trading reviews in order to increase
your market exposure and margin provided from Amplify in order to increase trading returns.
Amplify Traders who finish their third month with a flat or positive live account will be asked to continue
to trade with Amplify Trading and will continue to have their margin fully funded by Amplify Trading.
There are no further training fees after the third month of the Career Programme.
3
Above : Career Traders at our trading floor on St Swithin’s Lane
LOCATION
All career traders will spend month one on their own trading desk in our training room at IFS School of
Finance. Career traders will then move across to our main trading office for months two and three as they
progress on to the live markets. Traders that complete month three with a flat or positive account will be
offered the opportunity to continue trading as an Amplify Trader.
FIVE STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT
As you develop as an Amplify Trader you will pass through five stages of development:
1.) CLASSES IN THEORY Right from the start our Head of Trading Piers Curran, will take you through key
aspects of macro economic theory, technical analysis and behavioural finance.
2.) BUILDING THE FOUNDATIONS We introduce a new asset class each week to your portfolio. Interactive
theory sessions are followed immediately by putting that theory into practice in live market conditions. Candidates are assessed and reviewed by their mentor throughout each day.
3.) PROGRESSIVE TRADING Equipped with the tools and understanding of intraday trading strategies, you
will use increased market exposure to develop your own trading style and work closely with your mentor to
achieve three out of four positive weeks in your favoured assets.
4.) INITIAL LIVE MARKET TRADING At the start of month three you will be moved onto the live market environment with your trading account fully funded by Amplify trading. You will receive personal support from
our head of trading to help you cross the psychological barrier from simulated to real money trading.
5.) PROFESSIONAL LIVE MARKET TRADING As you continue to trade on the live market environment Amplify will be looking to increase your size and exposure in order for you to operate and develop as an experienced institutional trader managing your risk across multiple asset classes.
© Copyright 2014 Amplify Trading Ltd
FIVE STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT: TRADING CAREER PROGRAMME
INITIAL MARKET THEORY
STAGES 1 + 2 [FIRST MONTH]
KEY MARKET THEORY &
BUILDING THE FOUNDATIONS
STAGE 3 [SECOND MONTH]
TRADE EQUITY
AND CURRENCY
MARKETS
TRADE
FIXED INCOME
PRODUCTS
TRADE
COMMODITY
MARKETS
MOVE TO THE TRADING FLOOR
PROGRESSIVE TRADING
TRADE ACROSS ALL ASSET CLASSES WITH INCREASED EXPOSURE. ACHIEVE THREE OUT OF FOUR UP WEEKS IN ANY ONE
PRODUCT IN ORDER TO GO LIVE IN THAT PRODUCT
STAGE 4 [THIRD MONTH]
INITIAL LIVE MARKET TRADING
TRADE
ACROSS
ALL
ASSET
TRADE
TRADE
LIVE
LIVEON
ONUP
UP
TO
TO
CLASSES
WITH
INCREASED
SEVEN
SEVEN
PRODUCTS
PRODUCTS
IN
IN
EXPSOURE.
ACHIEVE
ACCORDANCE
ACCORDANCEWITH
WITH
THREE
OUT
OF TWO
FOUR UP
MONTH
MONTH
TWO
RECEIVING
WEEKSSHARE
IN ANY
PRODUCT
OF PROFITS
CONTINUE TO TRADE
OTHER PRODUCTS ON
SIMULATED MARKETS
TO ADD TO LIVE
PORTFOLIO
FINSIH MONTH THREE IN PROFIT
STAGE 5 [AFTER MONTH THREE]
INSTITUTIONAL TRADING
INDEPENDENT TRADING
CAREER DEVELOPMENT
© Copyright 2014 Amplify Trading Ltd
BECOME AN
INDEPENDENT
TRADER WITH YOUR
OWN FUNDED
ACCOUNT
CONTINUE TO
TRADE AS A FULLY
BACKED AMPLIFY
TRADER WITH NO
TRAINING FEES
USE FRONT DESK
EXPERIENCE TO
LEVERAGE WIDER
ROLES IN FINANCE
SYSTEMS, RISK MANAGEMENT AND SUPPORT
Above left, institutional trading platform. Above right, Amplify Trading’s news service and virtual trading room
TRADING PLATFORM
All of our traders are set up with the institutional trading software that is used throughout all top level trading
floors around the globe. Traders view in real time the assets in their trading portfolio, with prices, orders and
fills being updated by the microsecond. The direct market access trading platform (above) with level two
visibility allows over 150 technical analysis functions to be applied.
Traders will be introduced to quantitative trading methods to back-test their strategies and will be shown how
to incorporate our series of proprietary trading algorithms and analysis software to better assess price
opportunity.
NEWS AND ANALYSIS
When training with Amplify, you learn how to assess and understand the changing fundamental news flow. In
order to take full advantage of that knowledge it is important to get that news fast. All our traders receive
access to live, up to the second market news and analysis, as soon as it breaks. Each day you will receive our
strategy reports from our team of analysts to help provide further insight into the products you trade.
MARKET BRIEFINGS AND DATA REVIEWS
At the start of the EU and US trading sessions you will be invited by our Head of Trading, Piers Curran, to join a
market briefing discussion to prepare for economic announcements throughout the day. You will be immersed
in continuous market debate with our experienced traders assessing economic data as it gets released,
providing an invaluable practical market experience.
© Copyright 2014 Amplify Trading Ltd
TIMETABLE AND STRUCTURE
Each week follows a clear structure of objectives to give you the most comprehensive experience on the front
desk of financial markets. For the first week, all trainees will be invited to our training room at IFS School of
Finance to be taught key theory, led by our Head of Trading Piers Curran, before they then trade throughout
each day applying the new concepts and processes learned.
WEEK 1 [STAGE 1]: IN-HOUSE INDUCTION WEEK
OBJECTIVE: To achieve a deep understanding of the markets you will be entering the strategies that professional traders employ
in today’s economic climate. We will look into the markets as a whole, review the current financial crises, how to understand charts,
and take a deep look into trading psychology and risk parameters. This week will also include an overview of the trading strategies
you will be practising during month one.
MONDAY
12:00-14:00
Introduction to Amplify Trading, get to know the traders, introduction to trading systems and software
14:30-15:30
Analysis of contemporary macroeconomic drivers from the credit crunch to the Eurozone crisis and the global recovery
15:45-17:00
Introduction to technical and fundamental analysis and behavioural finance
TUESDAY
12:00-14:00
The structure of global markets and how they function
14:30-15:30
Technical Analysis: support/resistance levels & trends
15:45-17:00
How to optimise entry & exit strategies
WEDNESDAY
12:00-14:00
Technical Analysis: Pivot Levels; Fibonacci Retracement; Moving Averages; RSI
14:30-15:30
Behavioural finance; prospect theory, herd mentality, confirmation bias and discounting the efficient market hypothesis
15:45-17:00
Trading psychology session; Kolb’s learning cycle; individual psychometric profiling tests
THURSDAY
12:00-14:00
Monetary policy and the role of the central bank; Analysing the European Central Bank Press Conference
14:30-15:30
Economic Data Analysis; Introduction to risk management
15:45-17:00
Building trading strategies; trading ranging and momentum markets
FRIDAY
12:00-14:00
Commodity focus, the role of gold, outlook for world oil review; Trading Economic Data Releases
14:30-16:00
Practical session on the trading systems
© Copyright 2014 Amplify Trading Ltd
MULTI-ASSET CLASS TRADING [STAGE 2]: WEEKS 2 - 4
From week two, new traders operate their trading terminal throughout the European and US market sessions.
Traders add a new asset class to their portfolio each week and apply theory taught on live market prices. Trading
takes place between 08:30 and 16:30 each day on your own trading desk and sessions are complimented by the
following additional theory topics below.
WEEK 2: EQUITIES & FX
08:30 - 16:30
OBJECTIVE: To familiarise yourself with the trading platform, how to implement Risk limits, and to
practise entering trades using Support and Resistance levels. There will also be a daily quiz to assess
your knowledge in the topics covered. In addition to the daily quiz, there will be an exam covering the
material from week one; this will take place on the Monday of week two.
MONDAY
Set up trading systems ; Lecture: Trading FX Markets; Exam for week one theory
TUESDAY
Technical analysis: Support/Resistance/Trends; 1– 1’s with mentor; Trading Discipline
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
WEEK 3 : FIXED INCOME
08:30 - 16:30
Technical analysis: Candlestick Charting & Study of Candlestick Psychology
Lecture - The Practical Trader: Trading rules and discipline; Trading day routine; Entry and Exit Strategies
Lecture: Trading your Psychological Profile; ‘How the Economic Machine Works’
OBJECTIVE: To further develop trading strategies and further understanding of more complex
markets. You will look at technical analysis tools which professional traders use on a daily basis. You
will also learn how to effectively and precisely plot a strategy on a chart using a set of parameters.
MONDAY
Trading reviews; Group risk limit review; Lecture: Bond markets advanced; Discussion: Market Correlations
TUESDAY
Tech analysis: Charting techniques session; Trading review; Trading with Order Flow: Live Session
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
WEEK 4 : COMMODITIES
08:30 - 16:30
Smart Orders: OCOs and Trailing Stops; Live Trading Session & Trainee Trader Reviews
Refresher Discussion: Implementing your Trading Strategy & Trade Management ; ‘Know Your Product’
Live Trading Session & Trainee Trader Reviews; Weekend Task: Strategy Report
OBJECTIVE: To develop macro-understanding by completing a strategy report task. This week will
build upon all prior learning in weeks 1 to 3 and will culminate in an end of month exam. There is also
scope for a visit day to Bloomberg to take the Bloomberg Assessment Test free of charge (subject to
demand and availability).
MONDAY
Morning Risk Limit Briefing; Trading review with mentor; Lecture: Trading Crude Oil
TUESDAY
Small group sessions with mentor; Q&A Revision Session
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
End of Month Exam; Crude Oil D.O.E Release Trading Session
End of month one trading game between traders
Induction to month two; Final small group session to mark progress
Below: Trade from our trading floor in the heart of The City
© Copyright 2014 Amplify Trading Ltd
PROGRESSIVE TRADING [STAGE 3]: MONTH TWO
As career traders move to their desks at our main trading floor they are introduced to their new mentors and
receive increased market exposure to trade across all asset classes as an institutional trader. This month is focussed
on the development of each career trader’s own consistent trading style in order to achieve three out of four
profitable weeks in their favoured products. It is these products they will start trading with on the live market at the
start of STAGE 4. The below lists the content covered by each trader in addition to their daily trading routine.
WEEK 5
08:00 - 16:30
OBJECTIVE: Review new limits with new mentor and acclimatise to professional trading room on the
trading floor. Traders are expected to develop a consistent performance applying theory learned in
month one.
MONDAY
Meet new trading mentor; trading performance and limit review
TUESDAY
Strategy Reports: Briefing
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
WEEK 6
08:00 - 16:30
Portfolio Management Lecture 1
Advanced futures lecture
Trading Focus: US Non-Farm Payrolls Day
OBJECTIVE: To learn from experience how investment banks operate and how to best reflect the
experience to leverage employment opportunities. To learn more about trading career opportunities
available post–Amplify, including opportunities available with Amplify.
MONDAY
Quiz 1 & weekly reviews with mentor
TUESDAY
Strategy Reports: Review
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
WEEK 7
08:00 - 16:30
Portfolio Management Lecture 2
Trading Focus: ECB Monetary Policy Day
Career Development session with William de Lucy
OBJECTIVE: Traders continue to build on professional experience developing consistency in their
approach. To learn about other derivatives in addition to futures and how the financial industry
operates.
MONDAY
Quiz 2 & weekly reviews with mentor
TUESDAY
Research Analysis Task
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
WEEK 8
08:00 - 16:30
Emerging Markets Lecture
Derivatives Lecture
Looking at the Buy Side & Sell Side
OBJECTIVE: Traders will see first hand how quote driven markets work at the LME, the world's largest
metal exchange (subject to availability and demand). End of second month trading reviews with your
mentor and allocation of Live market access for the start of the third month.
MONDAY
Quiz 3 & weekly reviews with mentor
TUESDAY
Research Analysis Task Review
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
Visit to the London Metals Exchange (subject to availability and demand)
Fixed Income: Yield Curve; End of second month trading reviews
End of second month trading competition
© Copyright 2014 Amplify Trading Ltd
LIVE MARKET TRADING [STAGES 4 AND 5]: MONTH THREE AND BEYONED
At the start of the third month career traders move on to the live market with fully funded accounts provided by
Amplify Trading. Different traders will be suited better to the different levels of volatility of the products they trade.
The trader will go live on the products which they have achieved three out of four profitable weeks during the
previous month, in stage three of the programme. This may be any number of the listed products below:
INITIAL LIVE PRODUCTS TRADED
EQUITY INDICES: E-mini S&P 500 and EUROSTOXX 50
CURRENCY PAIRS: EUR/USD and GBP/USD
FIXED INCOME (BONDS): GERMAN 10Yr BUND and US 10Yr TREASURY
COMMODITIES: MINI CRUDE OIL
Our more senior traders have access to many more products than listed above, from emerging market currencies to
precious metals and soft commodities. As you progress trading the live markets you will still be encouraged to
develop on a wider array of assets on the simulator. Traders will receive competitive financial compensation based
on the profitability in their Live accounts and performance will be reviewed each week by our head of trading and
managing director in order to allocate an increased market exposure where appropriate.
Traders who complete the third month with a profitable performance will be asked to continue trading as an
Amplify Trader with no further training fees. Traders who finish with a negative live account can use the invaluable
front desk experience and knowledge to either continue trading as an independent trader or leverage the
experience within the industry supported by a certificate in Trading & Financial Market Analysis and continued
careers support from Amplify Trading.
Below: A regular guest host appearance on CNBC by Amplify’s Head of Trading Piers Curran (left)
and Managing Director William de Lucy (right)
© Copyright 2014 Amplify Trading Ltd
TESTIMONIALS OF WORK
INSTITUTIONAL TESTIMONIALS
“Truly a highlight of training. The facilitators were incredibly prepared and the
interface advanced. This was simply the best and most important part of training.”
Kellie Burke, Bank of America Merrill Lynch VP, Global Markets Learning
I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Amplify Trading over the past three years”
Jasmine Quartey-Owoo HSBC Bank Plc, Graduate Recruitment and Development
INDIVIDUAL TESTIMONIALS
Jonathan Rawicz. CFA Associate, Director at Quilter
The skills I acquired will allow me to improve my investment decisions, by complementing my existing fundamental analysis skills with technical analysis skills. In particular, I really valued the fact that the course was given by actual market practitioners in a
live market environment. In addition, the opportunity to sit amongst the traders on the
floor rather than just in a class-room, it gave me a much better understanding of what a
trading floor is actually like and what trading day in day out is really all about.
Yana Pankratova, Amplify Trader and INSEAD MBA
I joined Amplify to fulfil my long term dream to become a trader and to study markets.
Throughout the intense program I learned how to understand what fundamental factors
drive price activity, gain good competency in technical analysis and I applied the risk management techniques taught. I started trading on the live markets focussing on fixed income
products such as the German Bund and US Treasury Bonds. I continue to trade with Amplify building on my live market experience in my progression towards joining a Hedge Fund
on completion of my MBA.
© Copyright 2014 Amplify Trading Ltd
CAREER TRADING WITH AMPLIFY TRADING
Our flagship career programme has helped us develop many of the traders on our trading floor who
continue to apply key theories taught during their initial three month period. This is a trading opportunity
like no other and we believe this is simply the best way to start a career in trading as you will be supported by an involved and helpful team of professionals following a training programme of exceptional quality.
The training fees for a career trader to be based in house, on their own trading desk at Amplify Trading
are £1600.00 per month for three months. This includes all VAT, desk fees, and system costs. Career
traders can meet this cost by committing to one month at a time should they wish. For traders that finish
month three with a positive live account there will be no further training fees and they continue trading
with Amplify receiving compensation for their profitable trading.
Spaces are limited for our in-house training and so there is also a very good option to cover exactly the
same training process via our ‘hybrid’ option. This involves operating on-line through our virtual room to
interact live with our trading floor throughout each day as you go through exactly the same structured
training process as those based at the office. The price for the hybrid option is £1050 per month.
We will have start dates at the beginning of each month, but please bear in mind that we only take
fourteen career traders for each programme and availability is often oversubscribed. Please contact us to
reserve a place or alternatively please use this registration link.
Yours sincerely,
See what others say about us on
William De Lucy
Managing Director, Amplify Trading
Below: All in house career traders will be based on their own trading desk on our trading floor surrounded by our experienced traders