He was the leader of the brigade and the head trader.

The head trader of British government bonds (called gilts) had quit.

He sprinted back and forth across the floor and held brief strategy sessions with his head traders.

"Anytime you get comments from Fed officials in a market that is trending down, it seems to bring out selling," one head trader said.

Instead of reporting the transaction immediately, the firm's head trader directed an assistant to hold off.

"It's a nightmare," the head trader at one Wall Street firm said.

On Friday, the head trader at one firm was reading a newspaper's restaurant review as the market opened at 9:30.

Just outside his office is a trading floor, where John Lattanzio, who was the head trader for his hedge funds, works.

Within six months, Tepper became the head trader on the high-yield desk at Goldman where he worked for eight years.

They also cited the firm's recent search for a new head trader.