Kazi Najib Ashraf: the trader king

The classic “Lion King” movie, revolved around a few characters, had set the tone for the greatest future hits of animated classics, such as “The Toy Story”. Simba had been introduced to the tribe as the new crown prince, while the proud father Mufasa advised him for the greatness of his future responsibilities. However, jealousy lurked in the unseen corners, Simba’s jealous uncle Scar couldn’t stand himself being moved over to being the future king. He tricks his brother and throws him from a ravine filled with a stampeding herd, killing him and putting the blame for the tragic event on poor Simba.

However, during his reign, Scar gets surrounded by opportunist Hyenas and other lower beasts and they torment the savannas and destroy the harmony. Still, as for any other kid story, the time takes its turn and Simba claims back his dominion, relegating Scar to the dungeons of despair and misery. The Trader King is slowly emerging after the removal of the once content traders, who have unfortunately been replaced for the past few years by edgy and short-term opportunists. Moreover, so much has changed now with withering brands and diminishing margins. What we have now are jittery bosses, on the edge, ready to go bazooka on the smallest ones, and the eventual damage is the morale team.

Yes, the markets have changed, and they are still in a dynamic mode. What is truly required, then, is a rethink by the bosses in the trading world to look at the developing trends.

Is trading going to die? Well, we have been hearing this now for umpteen years and that hasn’t happened yet. What did change, though, is that the atomic sized margins while playing only with iPhones, Samsung and now a bit of Xiaomi is driving the trader’s community crazy. On the other hand, second tier brands offering top dollar value as compared to their established competitors are moving the consumers to the new normal. This new normal being brand agnostic if the product looks and performs as well as the next big thing.