Day One Trader is the exclusive story of John Sussex on his journey from son of a Basildon factory worker, leaving school at 16, to successful City financier and member of the Liffe board. Providing a unique insight to this competitive and often brutal industry, readers will discover the tactics used by dealers to survive the jungle of the pits in a story that chronicles the floor banter and characters that made Liffe a global derivatives powerhouse. Packed full of exclusive - until now unreported - stories, Day One Trader sheds new light on what motivated characters such as Nick Leeson, and provides insight to Liffe floors star traders. Financial experts and novices alike will be gripped by Sussex's account of the highs and lows of a career that spanned almost three decades in the history of the financial markets. "The catastrophic events of 2008 prove that the financial world has not learnt the lessons of my own tragic tale. But anyone who thinks that the world of derivatives is just about greedy bankers who put our pensions and savings at risk is wrong. Day One Trader is the gripping chronicle of the unknown working class heroes of the Liffe floor who shattered a glass ceiling of elitism in the City of London and helped build one of the few financial institutions that we can be proud of." -Nick Leeson "John Sussex lived by the mantra of My Word is My Bond. This makes Day One Trader a must read for all traders. Every page brings back a lifetime of trading memories of days that will never be the same." -David Barnett, Global Head of Treasury, Royal Bank of Canada John Sussex, London UK - John's career spans the very start of the Liffe's open outcry exchange right through to a screen based exchange and beyond. John was there on the first day that the London International Futures and Options Exchange (Liffe) opened, working with Clara Furse (now Chief Exec of the London Stock Exchange) and teaching David Kyte (now worth $120 million). He traded on Black Monday in 1987, through the explosion of new derivatives products and the boom years of the 90's. Joe Morgan, London UK - Joe is a journalist currently on sabbatical from Risk Waters. At Risk he interviews senior technologists at investment banks. Prior to this he was a reporter for The Times working on investigative news based features.

Table of Contents

1. The Chicago Inferno. 2. A New Liffe. 3. What's in a Name? 4. Laws of the Jungle. 5. The Royal Exchange Days. 6. Local Heroes. 7. The Crash of 1987. 8. Cannon Bridge Boom. 9. The Omen. 10. Crimes and Misdemeanours. 11. Bubble. 12. The Liffe Board. 13. My Rogue Trader. 14. Liffe After the Floor. 15. The Last Hurrah.

About the Author

John Sussex retired after a 33-year career in the financial markets. He lives in Basildon, Essex, the place of his birth. After leaving his local comprehensive school with few qualifications he began working as an accounts clerk in the City of London at the age of 16. Sussex went on to become a highly successful trader at the London International Financial Futures Exchange (Liffe) and set up his own brokerage business. He also served on the board of Liffe. He is married and has two children. Joe Morgan is a financial journalist who lives in London. He has served as a correspondent for the Times and has written extensively about the latest developments in trading technology and the financial markets. Morgan was inspired by the idea of revealing to a mass audience the hidden reality of the world of high finance after landing his first job as a capital markets reporter. He has a Postgraduate Diploma in Magazine Journalism from Cardiff University. This is his first book.

Reviews

"Packed full of exclusive - until now unreported - stories...Financial experts and novices alike will be gripped" (HereIsTheCity.com, July 22nd 2009) ‘...grants an insight into the boom days of finance, revealing the tactics needed to survive in this often brutal industry'. (CEO Middle East, July 2009).