Eller Students Explore Floor Trading and More at Women in Capital Markets Day

By Eller Professional Development Center

On March 31, about 20 Eller women scholars traveled to the Edward Jones operations center in Tempe, Arizona to learn more about the possibility of careers in capital markets and at Edward Jones.

Eller finance and business economics alum and current corporate bond trader Kelly Chaves hosted the event.

Prior to visiting, some students described their idea of the trading floor as being male-dominated and chaotic as it often appears in the media, but the student job shadows on the trading floor helped break down those stereotypes.

Students took a bus from Tucson to Tempe, where the day began with a welcome address from one of the firm’s general partners. After a brief overview of the company and its culture, students broke into small groups and shadowed each of the unit investment trusts, corporate bonds, and equity desks. Students also had lunch to network with leaders and associates at the firm, followed by a panel discussion and Q&A.

"I would have to say my favorite part of the day was the networking lunch," said finance major Alex Andrino. "Although the floor rotation was incredibly informative, I really enjoyed getting to converse with a variety of employees from areas other than the trading floor. It really showed me that the collaborative and friendly culture extends to all departments, not just the trading floor."

"The most important and arguably the most surprising thing I learned from this experience was that sales and trading is not always as chaotic as people say," she said. "Through talking with a variety of traders, we really got to see how the culture of Edward Jones differs from the stereotype I constantly hear in the media." 

Header photo courtesy Eller Professional Development Center.