Top 10 trading movies
Trading isn’t just about analyzing the market and setting trade parameters. Stock exchange trading and investing are activities for mature people who are able to control their emotions, calculate variants, and turn situations in their favor. Here’s the selection of the 10 best trading movies made in different genres. Most of them are based on true stories. Find a few hours in your schedule to get acquainted with world-class movies, enjoy watching wonderful actors, and find some useful information about the world of trading.
1. The Wolf of Wall Street | Based on a true story
A spectacular film by Martin Scorsese, starring the inimitable Leonardo DiCaprio. The events take place in the 1980s. The main character Jordan Belfort’s first day at work happened to be “the black Monday” when the biggest collapse in the world’s exchanges occurred. The financier made his first money on cheap shares by selling them in huge amounts. This is a story of the quick rise and the smashing defeat of a brokerage firm owner who wasn’t troubled by moral principles. The film keeps the audience in suspense till the last minute. It was nominated for the Oscars and the Golden Globe Awards.
2. Margin Call | A trading movie for thriller admirers
This 2011 movie is based on a true story. It was J. C. Chandor’s debut as a director. You will become virtual participants in the events of one day in 2008 on the threshold of the global economic crisis. The United States citizens don’t realize the scale of the upcoming disaster, but a group of top managers from Wall Street takes measures to prevent panic and reduce the possible consequences of the financial meltdown.
Spectators enjoyed the magnificent cast: Jeremy Irons, Stanley Tucci, Demi Moore, Simon Baker, Kevin Spacey, and others. The motion picture was nominated for the Oscars for Best Original Plot and will be a great pastime for suspenseful film enthusiasts.
3. Trading Places | The best trading film for Eddie Murphy fans
An inspiring and adventurous 1983 comedy by John Landis, starring the peerless Eddie Murphy. One of the Duke brothers who own a large company on Wall Street puts forward the idea that a corporation can be managed by anyone. This decision abruptly changes the career and life of the firm’s manager Louis Winthorpe III because the owners have already found his replacement: a street beggar and con man Billy Ray Valentine. The Duke brothers take a one-dollar bet and offer Billy to be the head of the corporation, without even suspecting that this replacement will become one of the riskiest decisions in their life. Make sure you watch this comedy because unforeseen situations may occur in any person’s life.
4. It’s a Wonderful Life | An exchange and trading movie with a dramatic plot
A touching drama about life and family values by Director Frank Capra. The film was first released in 1947. The main character, George Bailey, lives in an American town, owns a credit company, and thinks about committing suicide under the pressure of hard circumstances. This intention is not left unnoticed in Heaven, and the only free guardian angel, Clarence, is sent to save George. The angel is inexperienced and doesn’t have wings. The main condition for earning his wings is talking George out of his deadly decision, but there’s little time, and the angel decides to show his mentee what the world would’ve been like without him. The plot was based on Philip Stern’s story “The Greatest Gift''. The movie stars James Stewart, Lionel Barrymore, Donna Reed, Beulah Bondi, Thomas Mitchell, and others.
5. Other People’s Money | An exchange and trading movie with a comic plot
A vivid and breathtaking film by Norman Jewison, starring the flashy Danny DeVito. Lawrence Garfield, nicknamed “Larry the Liquidator”, is a ruthless speculator who made his fortune on the bankruptcy of different companies and the acquisition of other people’s businesses. He chooses an electrotechnical company owned by the 80-year-old Jorgenson to be his new victim. But the old man isn’t going to allow an illegal takeover of his business and hires a quick-minded and pretty lawyer, Kate Sullivan. The adventurous plot and the brilliant acting by Danny DeVito, Gregory Peck, and Penelope Ann Miller will strike a chord with every spectator.
6. Wall Street | A series of trading movies
Wall Street is a dynamic film with terrific acting, released in 1987. The ambitious broker Bud Fox dreams of getting rich quickly. He offers his hero, the speculator Gordon Gekko, a share package of Bluestar Airlines. The business cooperation between the financiers helps Bud to quickly make a career, but Gekko often uses forbidden tricks in his affairs, involving his young partner in the unfair game. The exchange shark makes a large deal with Talder Papers, and Bud Fox learns about Gordon’s plans to sell out the Bluestar share package.
The motion picture explores the pampered life, quick money, luxury, and the wish to get rich at all costs. The film explains the work of the financial system and where to get information and what to rely on in making decisions. Watching the film makes you think about what’s more important: quick moneymaking or the opportunity to build harmonious relations and develop diligence. For his role in this movie, Michael Douglas got a prestigious Academy Award.
The story continued in the sequel “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps”, which was released in 2010. The director Oliver Stone gathered an excellent cast: Michael Douglas, Charlie Sheen, Josh Brolin, Shia LaBeouf, Carey Mulligan, and others. The financial wheeler-dealer Gordon Gekko served time in prison and was released when the world was on the brink of a financial crisis. The old methods don’t work anymore, and Gordon doesn’t understand the new reality. But he is chosen as a partner by a promising trader Jacob Moore, who is in love with Gordon’s daughter, Winnie. The financier offers the former raider a deal: making peace with his daughter in exchange for help in career advancement. The film shows the secret aspect of the 2008 financial crisis and is a worthy sequel to the extremely popular 1987 work.
7. The Pursuit of Happyness | A motivating movie about exchanges and traders
The dynamic plot and the splendid acting by Will Smith won’t leave anyone indifferent. The film is based on a true story that took place in the US in the 1980s. Chris Gardner invests all his funds in medical equipment and tries to make a living by selling it. Business failures and the absence of prospects are added by family drama: Chris’ wife moves to New York, leaving him with a young son and without subsistence. Then, the man decides to start a new life and takes a training course at a brokerage company, which offers him hard work and tiny chances of future growth.
Despite the financial difficulties, Christopher doesn’t give up and keeps fighting for his life and raising his son, sleeping in a shelter, and living on a stringent budget. Having gone through the hardships, he successfully finishes his training and gets a job offer at the company. In time, Chris will establish his own brokerage company and, in 2006, will sell a share package and become a millionaire. The movie teaches us not to give up and to keep moving forward even under hard circumstances, which is especially important for the financial market participants.
8. Boiler Room | An informative movie about traders
This thriller by Ben Younger was released in 2000. The main character is 19-year-old Seth Davis who organized in his apartment a clandestine casino that brings big, but illegal profits. The boy’s father is a judge, and he fears that his son’s business may be a threat to his prestigious career. Seeking to make amends with his father, Seth agrees to work with Greg, an employee of the brokerage company J. T. Marlin who offers to teach him. The boy learns the nuances of the financial market and starts a romantic relationship with Greg’s ex-girlfriend, losing his loyalty. In time, Seth becomes a full-fledged employee of the firm, makes good money, and shuts down the casino. But he doesn’t know that the company leads a double life and is being closely watched by the FBI. The duo of Ben Affleck and Vin Diesel keeps the audience in suspense till the last minute.
9. Quicksilver | A movie about an unlucky trader
In traders’ lives, breathtaking luck is often followed by defeats. A young broker Jack Casey starts working in a dealing center on Wall Street. His career is on the rise, and his capital is constantly growing. But a big loss derails everything. Hoping to recoup, the young man loses his capital and his father’s money in the exchange.
Business failures make him quit his job and become a bicycle messenger. Jack copes with his new duties well, Terri’s colleague becomes his girlfriend, and he gets close with a beginner named Hector. But it turns out that his job has its hidden dangers: the shady dealer Gypsy makes his messengers deliver drugs. Jack has the hard task of getting his friends and himself out of the criminal business. He manages to resolve this difficult situation using his education and business skills.
10. Peaceful Warrior | A psychological movie about traders
The film is based on the novel “Way of the Peaceful Warrior” by Dan Millman. A gifted gymnast Den Millman builds his sporting career, enjoys life, and dreams of participating in the Olympic Games. But he suffers from nightmares and a growing feeling of internal dissatisfaction. The sportsman’s life changes when he meets a mysterious old man named Socrates who shows him the way to self-knowledge. Dan gets a serious injury that puts an end to his sporting career. He has to rethink a lot of things and start a new life. While watching this motion picture, one can easily see parallels with trading, where successful transactions are often followed by losses, and bank deposits are followed by severe drawdowns. This philosophic movie teaches you to find your own way to enlightenment through the understanding and acceptance of your internal world.
What can beginners learn from the best trading movies?
For successful trading, you need to know how to analyze the market and predict changes in the rates of currency pairs, but that’s not all. You should constantly broaden your outlook, read analytical materials, raise your financial literacy, and work on your psychology. Trading films give you an idea of how the financial markets work. They teach you to properly work with information, set priorities, and make conscious decisions. Watching these films often gives you insights and new ideas, and makes you rethink your own experience. Those who are planning to make money in the financial markets or whose dream is to master investing, must include watching such motion pictures at their leisure.
The best brokers for novice traders
Brokerage companies mediate between users and the financial market. Novice traders should choose a broker that requires the lowest initial deposit so as not to risk significant capital at the beginning. In this section, the Traders Union will explore the conditions of cooperation with leading international brokerage companies: eToro, and Exness.
eToro is a convenient platform for social trading
This brokerage company was founded in 2007. Its platform is used by traders from 140 countries. The broker’s work meets the requirements of the world’s leading regulators such as the FCA, CySEC, and others. Besides trading currency pairs, users can invest in securities of the leading companies, buy cryptocurrencies, and make contracts for raw materials. The platform has convenient functions for copying transactions, which allows you to grow your deposit without direct participation in transactions.
Trading conditions for clients of eToro:
Exness is the perfect option to start trading
Exness is among the top companies in the world’s ranking of Forex brokers; it was founded in 2008. Its business is controlled by international regulators such as the FCA, the FSA, and CySEC. The monthly trading volume on the platform is over $326 billion. Users can make money by trading 120 currency pairs, securities, raw materials, metals, energy resources, and cryptocurrencies.
Trading platforms MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, and the mobile app are available for making transactions. There are several types of trading accounts depending on its clients’ needs, including a free demo account. The company provides favorable conditions for moneymaking for owners of small deposits up to $1,000 due to the use of leverage.
Conditions of work:
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The lowest trading deposit is $1;
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Leverage level is up to 1:2,000;
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Technical support works 24/7;
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Tight spreads;
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Different types of trading accounts;
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Instant withdrawals.
Summary
Trading movies give a lot of valuable information about the way exchanges and financial markets worked in different periods. The stories of successful speculators, outstanding con men, and financial moguls will become the source of new experiences and original ideas, which can be applied in trading. It’s a great opportunity to spend time usefully, broaden your outlook, compare yourself with other traders, and learn something important. Make sure to find a few hours for that in the evening or on your days off instead of cutting loose on social media or surfing the internet.
If you want to not only watch trading films, but also learn how to make money on changes in currency rates, TU recommends these reliable brokers for beginners: eToro, RoboForex, and Exness. On the Traders Union website, you can compare the conditions of working with different brokers, study reviews, and also get an additional reward for opening an account in a brokerage company.
FAQs
Where to watch the best trading movies?
You can watch the above movies about trading and financial markets on special websites or on TV through a paid subscription.
How to determine what trading movies are worth watching?
Many resources post film rankings, including films about investing. When looking for a film, see a short annotation on the website and read reviews.
What can trading movies teach?
Besides understanding how the financial markets work, you can learn how to work with information, make educated decisions, and control your emotions in different situations.
How does a novice trader choose a broker?
When choosing a brokerage company, pay attention to the following factors: how long it has worked in the market, licenses for the provision of financial services, the convenience of the trading platform, the initial deposit amount, leverage level, the fees for account deposits and money withdrawals, requirements for the lowest initial deposit, etc.
Team that worked on the article
Oleg Tkachenko is an economic analyst and risk manager having more than 14 years of experience in working with systemically important banks, investment companies, and analytical platforms. He has been a Traders Union analyst since 2018. His primary specialties are analysis and prediction of price tendencies in the Forex, stock, commodity, and cryptocurrency markets, as well as the development of trading strategies and individual risk management systems. He also analyzes nonstandard investing markets and studies trading psychology.
Olga Shendetskaya has been a part of the Traders Union team as an author, editor and proofreader since 2017. Since 2020, Shendetskaya has been the assistant chief editor of the website of Traders Union, an international association of traders. She has over 10 years of experience of working with economic and financial texts. In the period of 2017-2020, Olga has worked as a journalist and editor of laftNews news agency, economic and financial news sections. At the moment, Olga is a part of the team of top industry experts involved in creation of educational articles in finance and investment, overseeing their writing and publication on the Traders Union website.
Olga has extensive experience in writing and editing articles about the specifics of working in the Forex market, cryptocurrency market, stock exchanges and also in the segment of financial investment in general. This level of expertise allows Olga to create unique and comprehensive articles, describing complex investment mechanisms in a simple and accessible way for traders of any level.
Olga’s motto: Do well and you’ll be well!