Demand Driving Quant Pay Higher

With quant researchers hotter than ever, demand - and pay - is set to rise dramatically over the next year, recruiters say.

The market is extremely buoyant, with a lot of hiring going on in both New York and London. "There is demand for more and more quant researchers," says Hemendra Rai, leader of the quantitative trading and analytics practice at recruitment firm at Huxley Associates. The Wall Street Letter reports that Lehman Brothers and Nomura Securities have launched quantitative research groups in recent months.

Rai says researchers with 2 - 5 years of experience in an exotics background are the most sought after. They can expect to earn anywhere between $250,000 - $600,000, he says

"The bulge brackets are always willing to speak to the right sort of candidate," Rai says. "The door is always open to exceptional talent."