Traders Magazine spoke with John Panichi, Head of US Equity Sales Trading at Mizuho Americas, who won Excellence in Trading at the 2024 Markets Choice Awards.
What is your current role and how do you excel in it?
I co-run equity trading at Mizuho Americas, and my focus is on execution sales, which includes sales trading, specialty sales, PT sales, and derivatives sales. It’s a competitive business, and you have to be passionate about what you do to differentiate yourself and stand out from the crowd – you can’t just spam clients’ inboxes and recite a narrative. I put on my contrarian hat, analyze every angle, and play out every scenario so that I can speak confidently and with an opinioned voice.
How did you get into finance?
Being a native New Yorker and going to school in the city, I was exposed to the business peripherally from a young age. Growing up in what is essentially the epicenter of the financial universe, opportunities in the industry were more accessible. I realized that I enjoyed the fast-paced, competitive environment, so I studied finance in college, started out in equities right out of school, and never looked back.
What excites you most about your job?
I love the dynamic nature of the business. There’s so much information to sift through, so much data and noise, that it’s not enough to simply be analytical. There’s an intuitive nature to the job, and it’s incredibly satisfying to step back, find patterns, and see the bigger picture. Being on a trading floor and in an information-rich, fast-moving environment also creates great, intellectual dialogue among colleagues and clients. I learn from them every day.
What would be your advice for someone starting a career in finance?
Don’t simply take things at face value. Ask questions and have the courage to challenge the narrative. Just because the market is rallying behind a theme doesn’t mean it’s correct. When I was starting out, there were times when I didn’t voice my questions or contrarian opinions because I figured everyone else probably knew better. But sometimes my ideas turned out to be spot on, and I could have added a lot of value by speaking up.
If you weren’t in finance, what would you be doing?
Everyone who knows me knows how passionate I am about what I do. Outside of playing for the New York Yankees, which was never going to happen, I’m doing what I love to do.
