Macro Analyst

IMC Trading; Illinois; On-site; USD 200,000 - 225,000; Full time

Job summary

IMC Trading in Chicago seeks a Macro Research Analyst for the US Index desk to identify trading opportunities in US index futures and options. You will partner closely with Traders to translate macro context into actionable trade ideas and to frame views with conviction so they can be turned into positions.

You will monitor markets, events, and volatility, analyze headlines, and assess risks and payoffs across scenarios.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Econometrics, STEM or a related field of study.
• 2-4 years of work experience with Equity Index, Equity Research and/or Fixed Income Futures.
• A strong and proven interest in financial markets; experience with options is a plus.
• Outstanding analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong Excel skills.
• Experience in programming with Python is a plus.
• Ability to work in a fast-moving and competitive environment.
• Strong focus on teamwork, details and accuracy.
• Fluent in English.

Responsibilities

• Monitor markets with a focus on US equity indices and their relation to other macro products.
• Monitor headlines and analysis; judge importance, impact and reliability.
• Understand and react to changes in volatility term structures.
• Spot trading opportunities across the US equity markets and translate them into actionable trade ideas.
• Look at global economic events and perform impact/scenario analysis, expressing views probabilistically.
• Understand risks and opportunities in each scenario, suggesting pay-off structures.
• Prepare for and analyze important events (FOMC meetings, data releases, elections).
• Interact with Traders to game plan trading around scenarios.
• Analyze historical performance of trade recommendations and tie research output to trading results.
• Study time series related to volatility of events and realized moves; spot patterns and regime shifts.
• Monitor the relation (beta) between equity indices and their single-stock constituents.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Excel

Python

Problem solving

Teamwork

English fluency

Equity Index experience

Equity Research

Fixed Income Futures

Options experience

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance, Econometrics, STEM or related field

Tools

Python

Job description

As a Macro Research Analyst on our US Index desk in Chicago, you will partner closely with Traders to identify trading opportunities in the markets for US index futures and options. Based in our Chicago office, you will be an integral part of the trading team.

You will attempt to find opportunities that other market participants may not be aware of or are interpreting in a different way. More than reporting what you see, you will translate macro context into actionable trade ideas - framing your views in probabilistic terms and with conviction, so that Traders can convert them into positions. You will work in a fastpaced, dynamic, sometimes highly pressured dealing room, and over time you may potentially be handling trades yourself.

Your Core Responsibilities:

• Monitor markets with a focus on US equity indices and their relation to other macro products
• Monitor headlines and analysis (mainstream media, specialized Investment Bank research). Make judgement calls on its importance, impact and reliability
• Understand and react to changes in the volatility term structures in light of new trends and events
• Spot trading opportunities across the US equity markets and translate them into actionable trade ideas
• Look at global economic events and perform impact / scenario analysis, expressing views in probabilistic terms with clear conviction
• Understand the possible risks and opportunities in each scenario, suggesting the best pay-off structures
• Prepare for and analyze important events (FOMC meetings, data releases, elections)
• Interact proactively with Traders to game plan trading around scenarios
• Analyze the historical performance of trade recommendations and tie research output directly to trading results
• Study time series related to the volatility of events and realized moves, to spot patterns, potential regime shifts and to build scenarios
• Monitor the relation (beta) between equity indices and their single-stock constituents

Your Skills and Experience:

Bachelor's degree in Finance, Econometrics, STEM or a related field of study

2-4 years of work experience with Equity Index, Equity Research and/or Fixed Income Futures

A strong and proven interest in financial markets, experience with options is a plus

Outstanding analytical and problem-solving skills

Strong Excel skills

Experience in programming with Python is a plus

Ability to work in a fast-moving and competitive environment

Strong focus on teamwork, details and accuracy

• Fluent in English

The Base Salary range for the role is included below. Base salary is only one component of total compensation; all full-time, permanent positions are eligible for a discretionary bonus and benefits, including paid leave and insurance. Please visit Benefits - US | IMC Trading for more comprehensive information.

Salary Range

$200,000—$225,000 USD

About Us

IMC is a research-driven trading firm where quantitative modeling, machine learning, and engineering shape how modern markets are traded. A stabilizing force in markets since 1989, we provide liquidity across trading venues, delivering the best outcome in value and risk management to investors. Using our own technology and capital, we build proprietary systems and algorithms that operate across global markets. Our researchers, traders, and engineers work as a collective, combining rapid experimentation, advanced infrastructure, and real-time feedback to turn insight into execution and execution into advantage.