Profile - Alethea

	Degree(s):	Master of Chemistry
	Location:	London
	Job title:	Analyst - Fixed Income Portfolio Management
	Group:	Portfolio Management Group

BlackRock covers products from the whole spectrum -- from emerging market equities to U.S. fixed income structured products. This means that work exposure and scope for learning is absolutely vast.

Hear Alethea talk about her experience as a BlackRock citizen.

Feeling the Beat of the Markets
Working on the Fixed Income Portfolio Management Group of the firm, I am at the heart of the portfolio management process, feeling the beat of the markets and witnessing the use of various trading strategies.

Using My Skills
A science degree trained me in thinking logically and solving complex problems intelligently by analyzing large amounts of experimental data and evaluating conclusions – all skills that transfer easily to the financial industry.

Confident About My Career Path
BlackRock provides the best training either through formal events or informally via the support my team offers. I am absolutely amazed by the patience my colleagues have in nurturing graduates. Senior management places emphasis on graduates, making me feel valued and confident about my career path within the firm.

Not many juniors within the industry have the access to speak to the CEOs and CFOs of some very top companies, but as an analyst at BlackRock, you are open to such opportunities.

A Day in My Life at BlackRock

7:45 a.m. – Check in. Check my email, check the markets, read the news on Bloomberg.

8:30 a.m. – Meet with team. We share significant economic and company news as well as strategies on our fund positioning.

9:00 a.m. – Review, monitor, share info. Update reports that monitor our funds’ risks and positions, and inform manager of anything that is looking out of place, or suggest how we could implement strategies mentioned in the morning meeting … Check day-on-day fund performance … Analyze where the profits and losses have come from and inform the team of these via email.

10:30 a.m. – Track trades. Keep an eye on broker Bloomberg messages for market commentary and for any bonds brokers may be offering or bidding at good prices … Track the pricing movement of a list of credit default swaps and perform some analysis to work out if there is any potential trade idea … Discuss with my manager any trade ideas – be it profit-taking on existing trades or putting on new trades.

12:40 p.m. – Conference. Conference call with the U.S. credit team for updates on the U.S. and European credit markets … Follow up with global conference call with teams across all asset classes. Each team provides a two-minute summary of the most recent events in their respective markets, which offers a platform for global discussion on any current hot market issues.

2:45 p.m. – Catch up with brokers. Read some broker research to enlighten myself about the markets. Occasionally, learn about some exotic trading strategies … Then attend a broker meeting to discuss their thoughts on credit strategies or a company meeting that would help us to decide if it would be a good investment.

5:00 p.m. – Debrief the day's trades. Make sure I understand the reasons behind all the trades that my team has transacted that day, speaking to the portfolio managers on anything that I am uncertain about.

6:15 p.m. – Wind down, read the last emails and head home!