Bite the Ass Off a Bear: Getting In and Standing Out On a Hedge Fund Trading Floor

Contrary to Hollywood mythologizing, there are no wolves on Wall Street. Ruthless, greedy, and power-hungry individualists actually make terrible hedge-fund traders. If you’re going to succeed in this business, you need to understand not only how America’s financial markets work, but how being a team player makes you the most valuable asset to your company and clients. In Bite the Ass Off a Bear, investment professional Garth Friesen reveals how hedge-fund traders thrive by developing the interpersonal skills necessary to act and react in a high-stakes field with integrity, reliability, and stress control. For aspiring and experienced traders, having a strong work ethic, persistent attitude, and likeable personality are just as essential as mathematical and computer acumen and will take your career further than fabled lone-wolf tactics. With indispensable information from a Wall Street insider, this book will prepare you for a challenging industry that’s as full of risks as it is of rewards. Garth Friesen, a principal since 1998 at a well-known hedge-fund manager at III Capital Management, has served in multiple capacities at the firm, including Co-Chief Investment Officer. Garth has specific investment expertise in numerous markets, including fixed income, equities, and credit and interest-rate derivatives. He has been featured in various media, including CNBC, Bloomberg, and The Wall Street Journal, among others. He served as a member for five years on the esteemed New York Fed's Investor Advisory Committee on Financial Markets. Prior to joining III Capital Management, he was an interest-rate swaps market-maker for two Wall Street banks.