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It’s a good time to be a trader-in-training.

Whether you’re learning about currencies, derivatives, stocks, or bonds — sometimes markets are, well, slow. Not this year.

From Trump’s tariffs to the rise of AI, major shifts in how business gets done have fueled market volatility—and record revenues for banks—creating an ideal environment for aspiring traders to see fast-moving markets in action.

“We’ve been incredibly busy,” said Goldman Sachs partner Jennifer Roth. “The markets have been volatile, so it’s exciting to be on the trading floor,” added Roth, the bank’s global cohead of emerging markets and foreign exchange.

BI spoke with Roth and Steven Henry, a sales and trading division intern, to understand what one of the busiest years in trading looks like for college students working there this summer.

Henry, an MIT student, said he spent the first half of the summer in equities trading, and recently started on his second “rotation,” as Goldman calls it, in mortgage trading.

Bank trading desks facilitate the buying and selling of financial assets for hedge funds, pension funds, and other institutional investors. They also help these clients manage risk using tools like options, futures, and other derivatives. The division at Goldman posted record revenues last quarter, up about 36% from last year.

The experience, Henry said, has been overwhelming — in a good way.

“I didn’t expect to learn the amount that I have in such a short time. I think I can confidently say that during this internship so far, even just in the past few weeks, I’ve learned more than at any other point in my life.”

Goldman Sachs’ headquarters at 200 West Street in Lower Manhattan. Momo Takahashi / Business Insider

The day-to-day of a busy summer

The interns on Roth’s team help the sales and trading executives keep up with the news ahead of markets opening and synthesize what’s in their flooded inboxes each morning. Interns also get to work on market research — analyzing what goes into a good trade decision.

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“They also do pitches for us, so once a week they’ll show what they’ve learned on the desk that week and pitch a trade to us, and we’ll ask them questions so they can really illustrate their understanding,” said Roth.

During his time on the equities trading team, Henry pitched stocks that he said weren’t just theoretical exercises — but real ideas that business leaders could act on.

“We’re researching real things that the desk would consider important to look at,” he said.

The most exciting part of the day for Henry (and what he said he spends most of his time on) has been sitting next to traders — absorbing the fast-paced cadence of their work and asking questions.

“I usually try to spend most of my time sitting with traders and learning from them, trying to understand the language that they speak, what they consider important, how they go throughout their days,” he said. “I think that’s been the best way for me to actually learn about the products and see how it comes out in real life.”

As for his schedule, Henry said he feels it’s important to be ready to leap into action, before, during, and after the trading day.

“For me, we try to get in a little before the market opens,” he said. “Then we stay with them throughout the day and see how things progress,” he said, adding that as an intern, he is aiming for “a holistic view of the full day of a trader.”

A seating area at 200 West Street, Goldman’s HQ. Emmalyse Brownstein

Getting a return offer on the trading floor

Roth started out as an intern herself at Goldman in 2002. Now, as a partner, she plays a key role in handing out offers to the interns she wants to work for her team after they graduate from college.

She doesn’t expect interns to be financial experts, but she’s looking for young people who eat, sleep, and breathe markets. After all, Wall Street traders are known to be at the desk for 10 or 12 hours a day.

“I want someone to express passion for the markets,” she said, adding: “Ultimately, you want to really, truly love what you do.”

She’s also looking for people who have demonstrated an ability to learn quickly and jump into the action.

“There are so many smart young people out there. I want someone who I can sit next to who can be a team player,” said Roth. “A lot of the training happens on the job, so I want someone who can pick up concepts quickly, who is willing to get their hands dirty and get involved in the nuances of each trade.”

That means asking a lot of questions, but also showing you have grasped what you learned so far.

Interns should strive to illustrate “that they understand the answers when they ask questions,” she said, adding:

“When I look back to when I was an intern, I wish I had asked more questions and took the opportunity to meet as many people as I could and learn as much as I could.”