- Natural gas is a commodity, which, like other commodities, is traded in the financial markets on a regular basis. Natural gas traders may buy actual natural gas and related products, future promises of these products, or related financial instruments that allow them to take bets on the price of natural gas over a given period and hedge risk against price increases and decreases.
- Natural gas traders fall into the category of securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents, who are well paid for their work, making an average of $95,130 a year in 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately an 11-percent increase from the 2008 average of $85,580. Even among this well-paid group of professionals, natural gas traders, who work exclusively in the commodity markets, can expect the highest average salaries in the industry, averaging $111,160 in 2010.
- Natural gas traders who work in certain high-paying markets can expect to make even higher salaries, according to the BLS. Connecticut and New York are the states that pay the highest salaries to this group, an average of $157,640 and $129,620 in 2010, respectively. This is not surprising, given that New York City and Greenwich, Connecticut, are major financial hubs home to many commodity trading operations. Washington D.C. came in third on the list, paying an average of $111,730.
- While natural gas traders earn high salaries, their jobs can be intense, stressful and require long hours. The work is very fast-paced as financial markets can change in an instant, so many traders find it difficult to take a break.
Moreover, many natural gas traders spend a good deal on their education; nearly all jobs in the field, including entry-level, require a bachelor's degree, and many traders have a master's degree in business administration (MBA).
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -