The Most Well-Known Forex Traders of All Time

The Most Well-Known Forex Traders of All Time

Most currency traders stay out of the spotlight, but a few have achieved international fame. These well-known players have defied expectations by putting up tremendous numbers over the course of their careers. They are influential personalities who have had a significant impact on the investment sector.

These experts provide advice to newcomers to the forex market as well as seasoned traders trying to better their bottom line. By taking precisely planned risks, these traders have set an example for others to follow.

We've profiled five of the greatest below, some of whom are shockingly humble while others brag about their achievements. What they all have in common is an unwavering sense of self-assurance that determines their financial achievement.


George Soros

George Soros was born in 1930 in Budapest. After leaving Budapest, Hungary, in 1947, George Soros began his banking career at Singer & Friedlander in London.

He worked at a number of financial institutions before founding Soros Fund Management in 1973. In August 1998, the very successful company was said to have made $22 billion in profits.

In 1992, he became famous around the world as the trader who broke the Bank of England, making a $1 billion profit after short-selling a whopping $10 billion in British pound sterling (GBP).

The United Kingdom withdrew its currency from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism on Sept. 16, 1992, after failing to maintain the required trading band due to Soros' trade, cementing a day in history known as Black Wednesday.

This spectacular trade was a career highlight for him, and it sealed his reputation as one of the best traders of all time. Soros was one of the world's top 300 wealthiest people in 2021.


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Stanley Druckenmiller

Stanley Druckenmiller grew up in a middle-class suburban Philadelphia family and began his financial career at The Pittsburgh National Bank as a management trainee in 1977. He swiftly ascended to prominence, and three years later, he founded Duquesne Capital Management.

Between late 1988 and 2000, Druckenmiller served as the chief strategist for the Quantum Fund, where he effectively managed money for George Soros for several years.

Druckenmiller also collaborated with Soros on the infamous Bank of England trade that catapulted him to fame. When he was featured in the best-selling book The New Market Wizards, published in 1992, his fame grew even further.

He shut down his hedge fund after surviving the 2008 financial crisis, claiming that the relentless desire to maintain his successful track record had worn him down.


Andy Krieger

After leaving Salomon Brothers, Andy Krieger joined Banker's Trust in 1986. 11 He quickly established himself as a good trader, and the corporation rewarded him by raising his capital limit to $700 million, far beyond the regular $50 million limits. 12 With this money, he was in a great position to profit from the October 19, 1987 stock market meltdown, which is now known as Black Monday. 

Krieger concentrated on the New Zealand dollar (NZD), which he claimed was vulnerable to short selling because of a global financial asset panic.

By combining foreign currency options with his already large trading limit, he was able to obtain a short position that may have matched the New Zealand money supply.

He made $300 million in earnings for his firm as a result of this trade. He abruptly departed the company the next year, reportedly upset with a rumored $2.5 to $3 million bonus.


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Bill Lipschutz

Bill Lipschutz began trading in the late 1970s while a student at Cornell University. He turned $12,000 into $250,000 during that period, but he lost everything after one bad trading choice, a painful lesson in risk management that he carried with him throughout his career.

He started working with Salomon Brothers in 1981 while pursuing his MBA.

At a time when forex markets were rising in popularity, Lipschutz moved to Salomon's newly formed foreign exchange section. He was an instant success, with the company making more than $300 million per year by 1985.

In 1984, he was promoted to a principal trader for the firm's enormous currency account, a position he held until his retirement in 1990. Hathersage Capital Management promoted him to Principal and Director of Portfolio Management.


Bruce Kovner

Bruce Kovner, who was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1945, didn't make his first transaction until he was 32 years old, in 1977. He made a $22,000 profit by borrowing money from his own credit card to buy soybean futures contracts.

He went on to work as a trader for Commodities Corporation, where he made millions of dollars and established a great name in the field.

Caxton Associates, which he formed in 1983, has grown to become one of the world's most successful macro hedge funds, with assets of more than $12 billion.

Profits and management fees from the fund, which were split between financial and commodity positions, propelled the reclusive Kovner to the top of the FX industry until his retirement in 2011.


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From Soros to Kovner, the common thread running through this list of notable forex traders is that they have gained handsomely from their careful trades, which, when combined with self-confidence and a voracious appetite for risk, has established them among history's best and wealthiest investors.