I have been fortunate enough to visit and work on numerous fixed income trading floors throughout the world. Each of these floors has its own unique personality, shaped by the size of the desk and the people on it.
One thing that is universal, however, is the presence of great banter. Whether it's quoting from movies or engaging in friendly ribbing, you'll always find someone laughing or playfully wrestling with their Herman Miller chair.
I believe that the best banter is the kind that elicits a roar of laughter from the entire desk with just one line. I used to sit next to a guy who was so clever that his quips were like a never-ending stream of hilarity. I would be weezing from laughing so hard.
Lines like "Sam Bradford is Jesus on cleats," "I need it done... right meow," and "LSU is like the Dane Cook of the SEC" were just a few examples of the kinds of jokes that would have us all in stitches on a daily basis.
After four years of traveling around Europe and visiting different trading floors, I also noticed that there was a big difference in the banter between Americans and Europeans.
Americans seem to have a real knack for quoting the perfect movie line for any given situation, while Europeans have a more diverse sense of humor that varies from country to country.
I am going to try and make this a living post where I record all of the lines I have heard over the years that made me chuckle.
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