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年薪给到“数千万美元”!华尔街为明星交易员“抢破头”
华尔街见闻·2025-06-15 10:08

Core Insights - The article discusses a fierce competition among hedge funds to recruit top traders, likening it to a sports signing event, with significant financial incentives involved [1][3][6]. Group 1: Recruitment Competition - Billionaire Steve Cohen signed young trader Kevin Liu to a five-year contract worth $100 million, highlighting the lengths hedge funds will go to secure top talent [1]. - The competition for top traders is driven by the rise of multi-strategy hedge funds, which require traders who can consistently generate profits rather than just capital [3][5]. - High salaries for star investment managers can reach hundreds of millions, comparable to Wall Street CEOs, reflecting their scarcity and value in the industry [3][4]. Group 2: Trader Expectations and Pressure - Multi-strategy hedge funds demand traders to operate with high frequency and short cycles, leading to a low tolerance for errors and high-pressure environments [3][7]. - Traders face significant pressure during earnings seasons, often working over 14 hours a day, with strict performance thresholds leading to high turnover rates [7]. Group 3: Cost Structure and Client Impact - The high salaries of traders are funded by clients, with operational costs representing 8% of fund assets, significantly higher than traditional hedge funds [9][10]. - Despite complaints about costs, clients remain willing to pay for high performance, as evidenced by the strong returns of firms like Citadel and Millennium [11][12]. Group 4: Career Choices of Top Traders - Many top traders prefer joining multi-strategy hedge funds over starting their own firms due to the support these platforms provide in non-investment tasks [13]. - Some traders seek greater autonomy within these firms, as seen with Peter Goodwin, who was allowed to operate a sub-fund while benefiting from the resources of Balyasny [14][15].