The “flow desk” as it’s often called on the sell-side is about repeatability and scale in the service of institutional clients. It’s a competitive business with not a lot of margin for error, especially in a product like equity options where being on the wrong side of a misbehaving Greek could spell trouble. With this in mind, it was great to welcome Ali Samadi, Head of Flow Equity Derivative Sales at Nomura Securities International to the podcast.

Our conversation explores aspects of the salesperson / client interaction that make a relationship stick. Namely, Ali suggests that first and foremost, one must understand the client’s objective and tailor the coverage experience accordingly. As a derivatives expert, he sees opportunities to utilize the volatility surface not just in the construction of trades, but also as a source of information, as it may provide clues as to where investor interest is concentrated. We also talk about addressing the inherent negative selection risk for a sell-side desk. This includes the inevitable need to manage client expectations on what size can be transacted at a given price, especially when markets turn especially illiquid as they did on August 5th.

Lastly, we spend some time talking about training younger professionals, a pursuit Ali is passionate about. He believes the best way to help junior colleagues advance is to have them review trades in order to develop a sense as to what the right price is. Along with this, he encourages those in the early parts of their careers to diversify their skill sets, learning at least something about other products and assets classes. I hope you enjoy this episode of the Alpha Exchange, my conversation with Ali Samadi.