Going for a job - help !

[Blether]

I'm looking at the possibility of an account-management type position with a data / trading system provider's Tokyo operation, starting in the fields of FX options and USD IRS.

My background is in IT, with a number of years in investment banking IT. I've done some business development for a market data analysis company and so have background knowledge about the data delivery industry. I've been in Japan longer than I sometimes care to remember. Years ago I took a 2-day course in Interest rate derivatives, and another in capital markets essentials, with a major bank, but whilst working in IT. I'm reading the course notes... but I'm probably out-of-date on (or have never known) the jargon, and I'm out of touch with the current markets.

What should I know ? Do you have any tips, pointers, reading links ? In the meantime I'll be reading some of the threads here.

Thanks.

 

[grantx]

Blether,

Seems to me your ideally qualified for the position. Isn't the emphasis on data/systems? This is more important than the trading jargon you pick up from anywhere.

Good luck.

Grant.

 

[Blether]

Thanks, Grant. To be clearer, most of my banking IT experience is on the infrastructure side. The position I'm looking at interfaces between clients and in-house developers, so requires enough knowledge of the products to talk with brokers about the content they're getting.

 

[grantx]

Blether,

Fx options and swaps are not usually regarded as beginners' fayre, consequently a shortage of intro material. Presumably one would first learn the basics of spot fx and progress to options then to currency/interest rate swaps.

I reckon the best book, due to it's range of subjects (including swaps)and clarity of its worked examples (ie not pure calculus notation) is Options and Financial Futures: Valuation and Uses by D A Dubofsky, c 700 pages. You can get it from Amazon (used) for $1.78 (that's not an error):

http://www.amazon.com/Options-Finan...6997241?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191179276&sr=1-3

Hull's Options, Futures, etc is often cited for good reason but is far more anaytical which I don't feel will be necessary for your situation.

Grant.