AlgoSoc: trading their way up

For many of us, the summer has been an opportunity to travel, catch-up with old friends and enjoy life. We’ve done that too here at AlgoSoc, but we’ve changed a lot this year. 

Welcome to Imperial College’s Algorithmic Trading Society (“AlgoSoc”) for all things trading related. Founded in 2018, it has grown year-on-year to a society which averages more than 1,000 members annually. 

Our mission is simple: we’re here to teach you everything you need to know about financial markets, from simple market trading to quantitative trading and (hence the name) algorithmic trading. 

Trading for Beginners

You might think to yourself “I have absolutely no background in this so I could never contribute”, but you couldn’t be further from the truth because we’re here to take care of that and provide the information you need to develop an interest, an understanding and even a career in trading. 

For many of you, your first understanding of trading might have been back in 2021 when GameStop was a big thing in America. It reached a record $483 per share thanks to Reddit’s r/wallstreetbets subreddit. Only more recently, hedge funds such as Citadel have been putting more of their efforts to get computers to do the trading through things such as options and stocks via an “electronic market”, highlighting the growing evolution of financial markets with the help of a good programmer and a laptop. 

This year, we are delivering the AlgoCourse, a 7-week course designed to teach members about everything from programming to market making, machine learning and portfolio optimisation. One of the many things I think that separates Imperial career societies from other societies at University is the value we place on education, especially given that many STEM students will have had less exposure to the financial industry than at other universities where economics is a degree that has been taught on-campus for more than 20 years. 

Who is Trading For?

The question I often get the most is “Do I need to study finance or economics to have a job in financial markets?” The answer is a resounding “No”. Finance is an industry that’s very straightforward to teach, so it’s less a question of the topic you study and more your intellectual curiosity that you need to show in the job to learn the basics. Sure, studying a finance degree aligns you closer to the work you do daily but it’s nothing that a few months of curated training won’t sort out. 

A New Initiative: Women in Trading at Imperial 

Another initiative we’ve been allocating our time to is our Women in Trading society at Imperial. Run by a committee of 7 women this year with previous experience in finance, the society’s aim is to encourage STEM-focused women to learn the necessary skills for a career in the financial industry. Often, we hear the views of women in our society who feel the industry is not for them because of the male-dominated nature of markets but the truth is that it couldn’t be further from the truth. 

Many firms now have “Women’s Networks” where professionals are supported by other women working in the industry through roundtables, lunches and conferences. Our society hosts women with experience at Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, with seniors that have spent more than 20 years in their role managing their work and their own families. It is an industry where women are nowadays supported strongly and we couldn’t be prouder of our committee this year. 

You can also sign up to our mailing list using your Imperial login credentials on the union’s society listing page; You’ll be able to find us in the A-Z on the union’s main website. Then, click the big “Join Now” button and you’ll be added to the society’s mailing list

You can also find us on our brand new custom website, algosoc.com and add us on any of our social media accounts (Instagram and LinkedIn) just to be up to date with our latest offerings!

So, welcome to the Algorithmic Trading society… we hope you enjoy it and see you soon, in-person.