The gains and pains of an oil trader

In the first of a six-part series from our man overlooking the bullpen, we follow the trials and tribulations of following the markets

This article is the first of a six-part series, "A day in the life… of an oil trader" AFTER being involved in the market for 15 years it’s instinctive to wake up at a certain time of the night and check where oil-futures markets are trading and scan the newswires. I normally wake early to go to the gym, which helps clear my mind and I can focus on what needs to happen over the next 12-14 hours. I get to my office and fire up my screens. The operations group will report how much inventory actually moved overnight versus what was forecasted. Today, it comes in above forecast. I have to buy back futures contracts in four different accounts, all refined products. Futures are up on the day which