How To Set Up a Professional Trading Desk for Day Traders? $10,000 Desk Review
Day Trading. The Myth & The Reality.
We’ve all seen the lifestyle of traders in “The Wolf of Wall Street”, drinking champaign all day, hanging around the yacht and driving exotic cars. In reality, day trading is more like an episode of “The Office”. You’re sitting around in front of the computer watching the markets move. Day trading can be a drowning and stressful job since there is always the possibility of making a wrong decision and losing your investment. This is why you’ll often find investment firms purchasing ergonomic standing desks as a way to counter the effects of stress on their employees. In this article, we’ll go over the essential elements of professional trading desks and review the pros & cons of standard office furniture.
Trading Desks
You’re probably wondering what is the difference between professional trading desks and conventional office furniture? The key differentiators are found in the following elements, price, quality, and ergonomics.
- Price: Trading desks cost anywhere between $5000 to $10,000 depending on the degree of customization. These are sold by specialized furniture manufacturers who take part in every step of the process including the design, manufacturing, and installation of the workstations. Unlike standard office furniture with no possibility for customization, trading desks are designed to the specific needs of customers such as the number of screens it needs to hold, dimensions & room layout, colors & aesthetics, and maintenance services after the sale.
- Quality: When purchasing 50, 100, 500+ trading desks for their trading floor, clients (investment firms, banks, insurance companies) want to make sure that the desk will not break after 2–3 years of use. Purchasing trading desks are a 10+ year investment decision which is why the quality of materials is essential. With that comes attached higher costs such as using a metallic or aluminum structure rather than wood, producing custom shaped parts rather than in bulk, and buying top of the line electric systems for the smart technologies integrated within the station.
- Ergonomics: It is at this stage where specialized manufacturers really can bring the most value compared to conventional furniture providers. For instance, integrating urethane surface edges for a more comfortable position when typing, electric height adjustable surfaces for a sit or stand work position, modular monitor arms capable of holding 8+ LCD screens, and cable management for a clutter-free work environment.
Trading Desk Setup
Now that we’ve gone over the differentiators between conventional furniture and professional-grade trading desks, we will review the elements required to setup up a day traders' desk.
- Electric Height Adjustable Desk: Standing desks are becoming a norm in today's workplaces. Trading desks are essential for a healthier work environment The benefits including a more focused/productive workforce, lower risk of cardiovascular issues, and weight loss if implemented regularly. To learn more about the benefits of standing desks check out the following article.
- Keypad: Following on the electric height adjustable feature, trading desks can include a memory preset controller to store the preferred height settings of its users. Users can easily program their workstation to their height using the numeric values and switch up or down throughout the day. The keypad is seamlessly integrated on the work surface or under the desk.
- Monitor Arms: Depending on the industry, users may need different monitor configurations on their trading desk. Another element to consider is the stations' ability to grow if it is ever required to add more monitors in the future. Whereas conventional office suppliers often only supply the desks, specialized manufacturers such as Sustema can recommend and include these with the trading desks to ensure that the product meets its client needs. Modular monitor arms can be easily adjusted to fit the user's viewing angle. Another important element is the workstation's ability to hold the screens without tilting/breaking and injuring someone.
- Desk Cable Management: Often a forgotten point, cables from 5 and more computer screens as used by traders can quickly become messy under the desk. These are often found on the floor or behind the desk. The visual pollution does not help to create a stress-free work environment. Professional trading desks include cable chains to manage both power and data cables in and out of the workstation. Furthermore, due to the power required to run multiple screens, workstations can be equipped with industrial power bars to power up the devices.
- Secured CPU Enclosures & Active Thermostatic Fans: Since day trading involves running multiple programs costing thousands of dollars, trading desks must be equipped with secured CPU enclosures to protect the sensitive data of the company. Low noise active fans integrated within the CPU enclosure help dissipate the heat generated by computers.
About Sustema Inc.
Over the last 20 years, Sustema has successfully helped thousands of customers in North America to organize and manage their trading floors, mission-critical command centers, 911 dispatch centers, war rooms, IT labs, data centers, and collaborative environments.
Contact
1(800)455–8450
