Global Market Analyst

A Global Market Analyst researches markets across multiple countries - what's being bought and sold, who the competitors are, how prices and demand are moving, and what regulation or economic conditions are doing to all of that. The output is usually a report, model or dashboard that helps someone else decide something: which country to launch in, how to price a product, whether a sector is worth investing in, or how a supply chain will be affected. Depending on the employer, the "someone else" might be a commercial director, a trading desk, a consulting client, or external subscribers who pay for the research.

Starting salary: £27k–£40k
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Main way in: Graduate schemes in banks, asset managers, commodity trading…
They usually ask for: A degree is standard, usually 2:1 or above

Approximate graduate salary

Very roughly, around £27,000–£40,000 to start, but this varies enormously. Market research firms, trade publishers and smaller consultancies tend to sit at the lower end; investment banks, commodity traders and large corporates in London sit well above it, often with bonuses that form a meaningful part of total pay. Outside London, starting salaries are generally lower.

What you'd actually do

Pulling data from subscription databases, government statistics bodies, trade bodies and company filings, then cleaning it in Excel or a tool like Python or SQL so numbers from different countries are actually comparable (different currencies, reporting periods, definitions)
Building and updating models and spreadsheets - demand forecasts, price series, market-sizing estimates, competitor volume tracking - and explaining to a non-technical colleague why a figure has moved
Writing short analytical notes: a weekly or monthly market update, a country briefing, a commentary on a price move or a new piece of regulation
Tracking news and policy across the regions you cover - tariffs, sanctions, elections, central bank decisions, commodity supply disruptions - and flagging what actually matters to the business

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Speaking to or emailing contacts in other markets: local sales teams, distributors, industry contacts, sometimes external experts, to sanity-check what the data is showing
Building slide decks and charts for internal meetings, client presentations or published research, often to a tight deadline
Answering ad hoc questions from senior people - "how big is this market in Brazil?", "why has the spread widened?" - sometimes within hours

How graduates get in

Graduate schemes in banks, asset managers, commodity trading houses and large corporates - research and analytics streams are a common entry point, usually with autumn applications a year ahead and online tests plus an assessment centre. This is the most structured route but also the most competitive.
Direct entry as a junior or associate analyst at market research firms, data and analytics providers, consultancies and trade publishers. These roles are often advertised year-round rather than on a graduate-scheme cycle and are a very common way in.
Internships and placement years - a summer internship or a sandwich-year placement in research, strategy, commercial or trading support is one of the strongest routes, since many employers convert placement students into graduate hires.
Moving sideways from an adjacent graduate role - sales, operations, pricing, supply chain or client services - into analysis once you know the product and the market. Common in corporates and commodity firms, less so in investment banking research.

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Postgraduate study (MSc in economics, finance, data science, international business) - helpful rather than essential, and most useful if your first degree wasn't quantitative or you want to work on macroeconomic or commodity modelling.
Government and trade bodies - roles at bodies supporting UK exporters, or economist/analyst posts in the Civil Service, give genuinely international market work and can be a route into the private sector later.

What employers ask for

A degree is standard, usually 2:1 or above, though some employers accept a 2:2 with strong relevant experience. Economics, finance, business, international relations, maths, statistics and geography are common, but subject matters less than evidence you can handle numbers and write clearly - history and language graduates do get in.
Demonstrable numeracy. Many employers set a numerical reasoning test early in the process, and some ask for an A-level in maths or equivalent evidence. This is stricter in finance than in corporate or market-research roles.
Strong Excel. This is near-universal and often tested. Python, R, SQL or Power BI are increasingly asked for, particularly at data providers and larger corporates, though plenty of roles are still mainly Excel and PowerPoint.
Evidence you can write. Some employers ask for a writing sample or set a timed written exercise, because a lot of the job is turning analysis into a readable page.

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Languages and international experience are genuinely valued here in a way they aren't in most analyst roles - a second language, a year abroad or regional knowledge can be a real differentiator, especially where a role covers a specific region.
Professional qualifications are usually post-entry rather than pre-entry. The CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) is common on the investment side; some corporate analysts work towards accounting or chartered marketing qualifications instead. Employers in finance often sponsor these.

Skills that matter

Data cleaning and reconciliation

International data arrives in different currencies, units, time periods and definitions, and most of the real work is making it comparable before any analysis is possible.

Writing concisely under deadline

Your analysis usually lands as a few paragraphs or a single slide that a busy executive reads in two minutes, so burying the conclusion wastes the work.

Knowing when a number is wrong

A misplaced decimal or a stale exchange rate in a forecast can reach a client or a trading decision, so habitual checking matters more than speed.

Reading macroeconomic and political context

Market moves are often driven by elections, tariffs, interest rates or sanctions rather than anything in the industry data, and you're expected to join those dots.

Charting and visual presentation

Much of your credibility rests on whether a chart makes the point instantly in a meeting where nobody will read your appendix.

Handling uncertainty openly

Data on many markets is patchy or estimated, and good analysts state their assumptions and confidence rather than presenting a guess as a fact.

Putting these on a CV? We counted which skills 12,914 live graduate adverts ask for, and what to do with the answer — part of our application advice.

Where it leads

Junior or graduate analyst, typically the first one to two years: you're mostly maintaining datasets, updating models and drafting sections of other people's reports under close review.
Analyst with ownership of a region, product or commodity - you become the person internally who gets asked about that market, write under your own name and start presenting to stakeholders or clients. Usually a couple of years in, but this varies a lot by employer size.
Senior analyst or team lead, setting the research agenda, reviewing others' work and managing a small team or a client relationship. Timelines here vary widely - faster at small firms, slower in structured corporate hierarchies.
A branching point: some move to head of research or strategy; others move into the commercial side (pricing, trading, business development, product management) where the market knowledge is directly monetised; others go to consultancy or buy-side investment roles.
Longer term, the skillset supports director-level strategy roles, portfolio management, independent consultancy, or in-house economist posts. Many people leave pure research after five to ten years precisely because adjacent commercial roles pay more.

What people get wrong

“"Global" means you'll be travelling constantly.”

Most of the job is done from a UK desk using data and video calls. Some roles involve conference travel or site visits, but plenty of global analysts rarely leave the office - and the "global" part often just means your data covers other countries, not that you do.

“It's a finance job, so you need a finance or economics degree.”

The title is used across banking, commodities, manufacturing, pharma, FMCG, tech and research publishers. Outside finance, employers often care more that you can write a clear, well-evidenced argument about an industry than that you've studied econometrics.

“You'll be making predictions and calling the market.”

Junior analysts spend far more time sourcing, cleaning and checking data than forecasting. Even senior analysts usually produce scenarios and ranges rather than single confident calls, and someone else makes the actual decision.

“The analysis sells itself if the work is good.”

A lot of the value is in the communication - getting a sceptical commercial team to act on your finding, or making a 40-page model land as one chart. Analysts who can't do this stay junior regardless of technical ability.

Where this varies

The title covers quite different jobs. In investment banking or asset management it means equity, credit or macro research, with a heavy quantitative load, long hours, FCA-regulated publishing rules and a CFA expectation. In commodity trading it's closer to real-time supply-and-demand analysis supporting traders, with early starts and a lot of pressure. In a large corporate (pharma, consumer goods, industrials) it's commercial intelligence - market sizing, competitor tracking and pricing support for country sales teams, with more normal hours. At market research firms and data providers, the client or subscriber is external and the emphasis is on publishable written output and client calls. Geographically, finance-flavoured versions concentrate in London and to a lesser degree Edinburgh; corporate and research versions exist across the UK wherever head offices sit.

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General guidance about the role across the UK market, not about any specific employer. Entry routes and requirements vary — always check the individual job advert.