Traders aiming to someday profitably speculate markets must choose between two essential career paths – prop trading or hedge funds. At a surface glimpse, both promise wealth beyond the cubicle life awaiting in conventional 9 to 5 jobs. But at their core, how essentially do these two lucrative finance world routes differ beyond the flashy images of private jets and exotic cars?
This extensive comparison aims to compare and contrast several key defining aspects between prop trading firms and hedge funds like:
- How each model accesses financial capital
- The reward compensation structures for traders/managers
- The income upside potential, as well as major downside risks
- Expected work hours, lifestyle flexibility and autonomy in decision making
- Job security longevity and turnover volatility
Evaluating these crucial factors will clarify for traders what path presents the ideal environment given their unique skills, motivations, and sensibilities around aspects like risk tolerance, passion for the work, and desire for freedom or consistency.
Prop Trading VS Hedge Funds – Definition
Prop trading firms and hedge funds offer opportunities to earn enormous wealth in the financial markets. However, their structural models differ in key aspects we will compare throughout this article. First, what exactly are prop trading firms and hedge funds?
Prop Trading Firms
Prop trading firms supply capital, infrastructure like data feeds and office space, and mentorship to traders who then speculate financial markets in attempt to profit. In exchange for use of company capital and resources, traders share a portion of their trading performance profits with the firm, often 70% – 90% to the trader.
Hedge Funds
Hedge funds raise pools of outside capital from institutions or wealthy individuals which fund managers then strategically invest using a variety of sophisticated methods. The hedge fund managers earn performance fees, often 20% of annual returns generated, for growing assets as well as management fees (around 2%) based on total assets under management.
Hedge Fund vs Prop Trading – Similarities and differences
Below at a glance, traders can distinguish some of the major similarities and differences defining hedge funds vs prop trading:
Similarities Between Prop Trading and Hedge Funds:
| Prop Trading Firms | Hedge Funds |
|---|---|
| Speculate Financial Markets with Other People’s Money | Speculate Financial Markets with Outside Investor Money |
| Large Earning Potential from Market Volatility | Large Earning Potential from Market Volatility |
| Require Extensive Trading Skills | Require Investment Management Skills |
| Performance Directly Impacts Income | Performance Directly Impacts Income |
| Limited Personal Financial Risk | Limited Personal Financial Risk |
Differences Between Prop Trading vs Hedge Funds
| Prop Trading Firms | Hedge Funds |
|---|---|
| Firm Provides Capital to Trade | Raise Capital from External Investors |
| Trade Firm’s Money for Profit Split | Manage Outside Money for Fees |
| Focus Purely on Trading | Diverse Management Responsibilities |
| Autonomous Decision Making | Set and Enforce Investment Mandates |
| Income Tied Directly to Profits | Steadier Salary Plus Performance Fees |
| Higher Risk Endeavor | Lower Risk Tolerance |
Accessing Capital
Accessing trading capital represents a major divergence between prop firms and hedge funds.
Prop firms internally capitalize traders, whereas hedge funds raise external money they then invest. This key structural difference affects business incentives and operations.
Prop Trading Firm Capital
Prop trading firms leverage their own balance sheet to fund traders. Rather than seeking outside investors, they qualitatively assess traders and allocate company capital to their trading accounts based on skillset and risk profile. Since prop firms don’t raise external capital, they avoid lengthy fundraising processes and maintain flexibility in deploying their capital based purely on trader talent evaluations.
Hedge Fund Capital
In contrast, hedge funds pool capital from external parties like pension plans, endowments, family offices, etc. The incentive is asset gathering rather than qualitative trader assessment, though some funds may now screen prospective investment managers. After convincing institutions to invest, hedge fund managers earn fees for overseeing assets while aiming to drive returns through investment strategies – the actual trading/investing itself is secondary to the capital raising function.
In essence, prop firms externally capitalize talented traders to profit share while hedge funds internally invest externally sourced capital from asset owners. This key divergence affects business models.
Pay Structures
The compensation models contrast significantly between prop trading and hedge funds. Prop traders earn income based on trading performance, whereas hedge fund pay consists of steadier management fees augmented by performance incentives.
Prop Trading Pay Structure
Prop traders receive a percentage of the profits they generate from trading the firm’s capital. Payout splits favor the trader and often reach 80/20 or 70/30 arrangements. Firms incentivize traders maximizing gains the firm can then share in rather than penalize losing periods.
Upside potential is ultimately uncapped – top traders at the right firm could hypothetically earn millions in a year from simply analyzing markets effectively. However, down months reduce income volatility is high and continuous positive performance is demanded.
Hedge Fund Pay Structure
Hedge funds collect management fees, generally 2% of assets under management annually no matter fund profitability. This covers operating costs and functions as a base salary for managers. The real performance incentive comes from the 20% performance fee hedge funds charge on any annual gains.
So generating a 10% return above previous high water marks on $1 billion in assets means $20 million goes to the managers. While still potentially highly lucrative, the payout formulas stabilize income swings versus prop trading while assets raised dictate compensation ceilings.
In summary, prop trading provides uncapped variable pay tied directly to trading profits while hedge fund pay consists of steadier management fees supplemented by performance based incentives.
Risk and Performance Pressures
Risk represents immense pressure for both prop traders managing firm capital and hedge fund managers stewards of client money. However, risk tolerances drastically differ.
Prop Trading Risk Profile
Prop traders speculate with firm money so risk simply lost income if trades underperform. Firms implement risk limits on positions, drawdowns, and loss amounts before trader capital access gets revoked. Still, aside from potential earnings, prop traders assume no financial liability for losses beyond modest evaluation deposits. Their primary pressure involves consistently hitting individual monthly/quarterly P&L targets that allow trader contract renewals. Miss too many targets though, and they face removal losing capital access to keep trading.
Hedge Fund Performance Pressures
In contrast, hedge fund managers directly oversee client capital. Any investment losses flow through to impact external investors and the manager’s reputation. This concentrates immense pressure on asset preservation and risk management. Additionally, the typical investor redemption liquidity mismatch between managers’ ability to trade positions and client access to withdraw capital creates further systemic asset-liability mismatch risk largely absent from prop trading schemes.
In essence, prop traders only income disappears with losses while hedge fund managers lose far more client trust and new capital access losing outside money. This focuses hedge funds on lower volatility returns than potentially outsized but volatile prop trading gains.
Autonomy and Decision Making
While prop traders and hedge fund managers both aim to generate outsized returns speculating financial markets, the level of discretion each role allows varies greatly.
Prop Trading Decision Autonomy
Prop traders are playing largely with the firm’s money. So companies institute guardrails like maximum loss limits per trade/day/month to mitigate potential liabilities. Prop firms also restrict markets, instruments, position sizings, and holding periods traders can transact in.
These mandates balance giving traders enough latitude to pursue profits with ensuring prudent risk parameters protect the firm’s capital. Though granted location, schedule, and research process flexibility, prop traders ultimately must accept preset trading restrictions.
Hedge Fund Manager Authority
On the other hand, hedge fund managers raising external capital are selling not just performance but their expertise. Investors allocate money expecting managers to pursue their communicated strategy. This grants hedge fund portfolio managers wide discretion in security selection, position sizing, risk balancing, and portfolio structuring with minimal interference.
Most hedge funds feature investment committees who demand periodic updates but shy from overt strategy directives. This latitude allows managers to fully leverage macro or sector insights within investor expectation bounds.
In essence, prop traders operate under stricter top-down trading guidelines while hedge fund managers retain authority over customized investment approaches. This bifurcation mirrors internal versus external capital sourcing differences.
Job Security Differences
Income generation ties directly to job stability, and prop trading and hedge funds diverge greatly in this regard.
Prop Trading Job Security
As profit-split income fluctuates based on performance, prop trader job security correlates tightly with positive trading returns. Firms allow traders to withdraw income during winning periods, but can revoke account access instantly during prolonged drawdowns. Prop trader contracts span months or quarters before subject to renewal and reevaluation. Consistent subpar performance almost assuredly results in firm separation. Top earners may enjoy longevity, but income volatility weakly protects job stability.
Hedge Fund Manager Job Security
In contrast, steady management fee streams allow hedge fund managers continuity even facing performance slumps. Investors hesitate withdrawing assets without longer negative return periods. The due diligence required transitioning capital also slows investor turnover even amidst short-term redemption requests. Certainly, fund closures happen, but hedge fund managers enjoy career spans unheard of for prop traders. While assets under management metrics indicate investor preferences, job functions remain consistent regardless of marginal AUM fluctuations.
Essentially prop trading features high income yet high turnover volatility while hedge fund management prioritizes lower turnover over outsized but unstable returns.
Work/Life Balance
Work lifestyle flexibility represents a major advantage of prop trading over hedge fund management.
Prop Trading Flexibility
Prop firms care foremost about consistent profits, not work hours logged. Many don’t monitor schedules at all. This offers prop traders ultimate location and hours flexibility. Traders could operate briefly early and late daily between personal responsibilities, take arbitrary vacation whenever they choose, or even trade abroad shifting time zones dramatically. The autonomy rewards disciplined self-starters. Trading access allows sabbaticals to recharge. As long as traders hit targets over an evaluation horizon, work obligations are negligible.
Hedge Fund Work Pressures
Meanwhile, most hedge fund managers face immense work demands. Investors expect near constant oversight of deployed capital rather than intermittent trading. Portfolio managers confront extensive travel courting new investors, asset managers operate worldwide requiring coordination across time zones, while analysts research around the clock to inform investment decisions. Though salaries are comfortable, the diverse management obligations implicit in effectively stewarding outside capital afford most hedge fund professionals little respite. And the reality that results impact personal reputations and wealth adds further strain.
Essentially prop traders retain extensive work lifestyle flexibility while hedge fund operators sacrifice freedom to expand and preserve client assets. This divergence mirrors internal versus external capital provision differences.
In Review – Prop Trading vs Hedge Funds
After assessing differences in capital access, pay structure, risk, autonomy, and work pressures – traders must determine which model best suits their skills, priorities, and temperament.
Several introspective questions help guide determinations:
Do you require stability or pursue outsized rewards despite volatility? Prop trading’s variable payouts vastly exceed hedge funds’, but liquidity events directly threaten income and career duration.
Are you comfortable following set directives or desire maximum latitude over decision-making? Prop trading mandates can frustrate, while hedge funds empower strategy customization – yet assume the accountability.
Does appealing to investors and raising assets motivate you or do you simply want to trade/invest? Hedge fund managers spend considerably more effort on marketing and client servicing than solely analyzing markets.
Do you thrive with strict accountability or prefer self-directed workflows? Prop trading’s isolation rewards intense internal drive, while hedge funds feature management hierarchy.
Addressing these personality fit, motivation, and skills considerations helps align individual strengths with structures they would thrive within. The propensity for risk tolerance, flexibility, incentives, and duties should guide personal affinity for either prop trading or hedge funds.
As with any impactful determination, self-honesty is required. But addressing where alignments tighten between personal priorities and model realities promises lucrative outcomes.
