Lauren Simmons is the only female trader currently on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. She stands out in a place that we typically associate with competitive men. Historically there have been other exceptions to seeing only men on the floor. One example was during World War 2. At the time, women made up the majority of the traders on the floor. Even so, Lauren is exceptional in being the youngest female trader to join the NYSE.
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The New York Stock Exchange has changed over the years. In the past, the trading floor was where the action took place. The classic image of an exchange is a mass of traders moving around excitedly shouting and signaling prices/quantities via hand gestures. This image has been less and less accurate since the 1980s. The number of these traders on the floor has been steadily declining. Instead, electronic trading began to dominate the industry, with people moving their trading away from the floor. Nowadays traders on the floor are quite sparse, with the industry favoring the use of electronic trading.
The changes outlined above are just one of the many ways in which the exchange has been changing. Another emerging new trend may be the one that started in 2017. That was the year the New York Stock Exchange floor received a new addition, and her name is Lauren Simmons.
Lauren Simmons’ Trading Career
Lauren Simmons took genetics and statistics in her undergraduate studies at Kennesaw State in Georgia. After this, her interest in stats caused her to go on interviews and poke around the edges of the industry. This led to her meeting Gordon Charlop, the C.O.O. of Rosenblatt Securities. He introduced her to his C.E.O. and founder, Richard Rosenblatt. In the end, they hired her for the firm.
Lauren was given a month to pass her Series 19 exam to earn her badge and begin trading on the floor. To the delight of Lauren and Rosenblatt Securities, she aced her tests and became the youngest female trader to hit the floor of the NYSE.
After spending a year and a half working there, she was asked about her future on the floor. She expressed an interest in spending another two years in the high pressure environment before considering the next step in her career. We wish her the best in her endeavors!
Perhaps Lauren Simmons will end up following in the footsteps of Stacey Cunningham, the first female president of the New York Stock Exchange, who has been in the role since May 2018.
