Sandra Smith, Fox Business Network Reporter, Talks About the Challenges on the Trading Floors

Sandra Smith is a Reporter for the FOX Business Network and frequently broadcasts live from the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME). With all the market volatility over the past few weeks, it’s certainly been an interesting time to be a business news anchor—especially a female one. After the Dow Jones industrial average on Friday suffered one of its worst weeks since the the financial crisis in 2008, Smith weighed in on what it’s like to be a woman at the frontlines of these market moves:

"To say I am comfortable on a trading floor would be an understatement. As a youngster I spent a lot of time on trading floors in Chicago where my father was a floor trader for 15 years as well as my brother and uncles.  I am the youngest of 6 children, 5 of which are girls, and my dad gave us all a fair shot at going downtown on the train to work in the trading environment. One could call it a bit of a man's world, but my early experience and submersion in the environment at a young age gave me needed confidence to overcome the obstacle of being one of a few women on the trading floor. Time has proven that women are as good, if not better when in a quick-thinking, on-your-toes type environment. I later studied for and passed key trading exams to become a licensed professional trader for firms in both New York and Chicago."

"I use the same instinctive trading skills I used then, to cover the quick-paced markets today as a journalist.  One thing I learned very quickly as a trader: leave your emotions out of it. Same thing applies when following the big swings in today's market environment. Don't let your emotions get in the way of getting the real story. When I am on the trading floor at the CME Group in Chicago, I find out what is moving and get the best scoop from the trading pits to explain to our viewers why something is moving.  While the Chicago trading pits are not quite what they once were, there is still the thrill of seeing real-time price discovery... hands waving, arms flying, voices yelling, and papers flying!"