Holding period · Continuous
Market making
What is market making?
Market makers quote continuous two-sided prices and earn the spread while managing inventory risk. Options market making is the largest and most quantitative variant, requiring volatility modelling alongside fast systems.
Who it hires, and what it pays
Mid-level total compensation, Chicago reference market.
| Role | What they do here | Mid-level total comp |
|---|---|---|
| Quant Trader | Running risk on systematic strategies | $630k – $1.6m |
| Quant Developer | The engineering layer beneath the strategy | $369k – $679k |
| HFT / Low-Latency Engineer | Nanoseconds as a competitive edge | $486k – $972k |
Where it concentrates
Skills it rewards
Firms running it
Derived from published positioning and office footprint — an indication of where this strategy is practised, not a claim about current vacancies.
Other strategies
Methodology
Figures are expressed as annual total compensation (base salary plus expected performance bonus) in the reference market's local currency, converted from a US dollar base. They describe typical market ranges rather than any individual offer, and exclude sign-on payments, deferred equity and carried interest. Portfolio-manager figures reflect formulaic profit-share arrangements and are therefore far more dispersed than any other role.
KnowQaunt 2026.1 · Updated September 2026
These are indicative ranges pending first-party verification. They will be replaced by verified submissions as the Quant Salary Index dataset builds.