If you are planning to get into the world of trading, a good way to learn more about the stock market and its history is by watching a movie. Movies about finances can make you more familiar with investments as well as help you have a better understanding of the trading process.
Such movies are educational and exciting, considering they have captivating stories and are fast-paced. They catch the audience's focus and keep it in anticipation of what will happen next. This article presents you with some of the best trading movies you can find online while taking a break from the charts.
About Trading Movies
To be successful in trading, you need trading skills and extensive knowledge of how to analyze the market, implement the right strategies and use the trading tools and materials to your advantage.
That said, trading films give you insights into how the financial markets work, and they teach you how to set priorities and make conscious and informed decisions. By watching trading movies, you can generate new ideas and get inspired to enhance your trading experience.
Below is a list of some of the best trading movies from various genres that portray the financial world and give a valuable message to the viewers, whether they are beginners or experienced traders.
List of Trading Movies to Watch in 2023
Trading Places (1983)
Genre: Comedy
Trading Places is a comedy movie by John Landing that focuses on the world of finances. The popular movie star Eddie Murphy portrays the main role in the comedy and plays a homeless man named Billy Ray Valentine.
Plot
In the movie, one of the Duke brothers, who are successful stockbrokers, proposes the idea that anyone can manage a corporation. As a result of the bet, Billy Ray Valentine becomes a financial manager, which is one of the riskiest decisions the brothers made.
Valentine and his predecessor Louis Winthorpe III team up against the stockbrokers as they become pawns in their game and plot revenge. Even though the movie is a comedy, it depicts serious topics in terms of trading on the stock market.
The movie gives insights into trading and displays how unforeseen situations can happen at any point in life, especially in trading. The light-hearted comedy provides a deep and meaningful message and is considered to be one of the best finance movies.
Wall Street (1987)
Genre: Drama
Wall Street , a movie directed by Oliver Stone, revolves around a young stockbroker Bud Fox portrayed by Charlie Sheen. It is one of the oldest Hollywood trading movies which depicts the reality of the US stock market.
Plot
The main character of Wall Street is a young stockbroker who has a strong desire to become successful and does anything in his power to be on the top. The stockbroker is attracted to power and becomes a very influential person in the Wall Street market.
As a result, the young stockbroker comes close to corporate raider Gordon Gekko but soon realizes that success comes at a price that needs to be paid, as he went the wrong way to achieve success.
Throughout the movie, Fox deals with ethical dilemmas and at one point, he tries to gather illegal information. The movie gives insights into the world of trading and is considered a classic regarding trading movies.
Rogue Trader (1999)
Genre: Drama/Crime
Rogue Trader is a Forex Trading movie that beginner traders need to watch. The movie successfully illustrates some of the most common mistakes many traders make, including not cutting loose quickly. It teaches that if you want consistent results and earnings as a trader, having an understanding of risk management is very important.
Plot
The drama by James Dearden follows the story of Nick Leeson, a young British investor working at Barings Bank, which is a major investment bank.The movie has an incredible story but is also a representation of real-life traders.
The investment future trader becomes one of Barings’s top traders but is later responsible for the bankruptcy of one of the oldest banks in the UK. He then begins to hide the losses made by his team due to unauthorized futures trading on the Singapore stock exchange.
Rogue Trader is based on a true story of a trader who took many risks and shows the importance of using risk management tools and controlling emotions while trading to avoid huge losses.
Boiler Room (2000)
Genre: Drama/Crime
The Boiler Room movie is a thriller by Ben Younger that helps the viewers understand how the financial markets are and how financial assets can become overvalued. The trading movie gives a different perspective to trading and teaches traders that if something sounds very good to be true, it often turns out it is.
Plot
Featuring acting stars like Ben Affleck, Seth Davis, and Vin Diesel, the movie follows the story of a college dropout Seth Davis who opens an illegal casino in his apartment that brings illegal profit.
However, his father is a judge who believes his son’s actions will negatively impact his prestigious career. Hence, to make amendments with his father, Davis manages to get a job as a broker for an investment firm.
He agrees to work with Greg, an employee of the brokerage company J. T. Marlin who offers to teach him about his work. As Davis becomes a full-time employee, he closes the casino but notices that the company is not very legitimate and is closely watched by the FBI. The movie keeps the viewers in suspense till the very last minute.
Margin Call (2011)
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Margin Call is a movie by producer and screenwriter J.C. Chandor. Given that his father was an investment banker, Chandor drew inspiration for his movies through real-life experiences. The movie follows the time period when the financial crisis in 2007-2008 began.
Plot
The movie follows the story of a group of employees who work at a Wall Street investment bank and reveals how financial institutions operate. As times are hard for the American investment bank, several employees are fired, including Eric Dale, the head of the risk department.
Upon leaving, he tries to explain to his colleagues what he is working on, but none of them take him seriously. He then gives a USB stick to one of the new employees, Peter Sullivan who works overtime and discovers that the bank has been selling particular products that are risky for the customers for years.
He finds out that if the value of the products declines, the financial holdings will not be able to cover the losses. The plot focuses on the securities that reach a high level of volatility and put the entire company at risk.
Too Big To Fail (2011)
Genre: Drama/Documentary
This is another movie focused on the financial crisis in 2008 and showcases the importance of financial institutions. The movie is directed by Curtis Hanson and based on the book written by Andrew Ross Sorkin, titled Too Big to Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System—and Themselves.
Plot
The movie displays how the downfall of financial institutions is dangerous for the economy. The story focuses on the real-life Henry Paulson and Ben Bernanke - chairman of the Federal Reserve System, and their actions towards the problems they faced during the crisis.
The award-winning movie accurately portrays how the private banks and central banks were involved in the financial crisis in 2008 and follows the story of bank leaders and politicians. The movie also touches on the mortgage industry crisis.
The phrase “Too Big to Fail” is still used in finance today, and the movie illustrates the importance of the institutions which are essential to the functioning of the economy so that they cannot collapse.
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
Genre: Comedy/Drama
The Wolf of Wall Street , a Hollywood blockbuster, is based on a true story of a once-popular stockbroker. The movie by the renowned director Martin Scorsese is based on the memoirs of the character Jordan Belfort, portrayed by the globally known talented actor Leonardo DiCaprio.
Plot
This is one of the greatest trading movies representing the ups and downs of Wall Street and showcasing how things can quickly turn on the market. It follows Belfort’s story and career from his entry-level job when he started working in a company for Mark Hanna.
Upon Black Monday , the stockbroker is terminated by the company but manages to get a job at a penny stock firm. Due to the fact that he enjoys high commissions, Belfort then becomes a successful businessman and opens up his own company.
Belfort and his friends are involved in a pump-and-dump scam and start living a high life. However, he falls into the world of corruption soon after, and his life starts falling apart. The movie gives insights into the trading world and showcases the importance of staying humble, even when one gets high earnings.
The Big Short (2015)
Genre: Drama/Comedy Drama
The movie by Adam Mckay was created for viewers interested in the financial market. The Big Short is a movie full of action that displays the financial crisis in 2008. It shows the conflict between the traders anticipating the crisis but is also a comedy with light and realistic moments.
Plot
The movie follows the US market crash and unravels the history of professional investors who managed to get a huge amount of money during this time period. It shows how the traders predicted the direction the market would go, which is the most important thing regarding stock trading.
The award-winning movie successfully unravels how risky the financial markets are, as, during the financial crisis, millions of people lost either their jobs or homes. It follows the life of the fund manager Michael Burry who sent letters about the problems with Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS) right before the financial crisis.
The investors didn’t believe his thesis, but then the market collapsed, and Burry made a big amount of money due to his findings. The Big Short is based on the stock trading book by Michael Lewis titled The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine and features talented actors such as Christian Bale, Brad Pitt, Steve Carrell, and Ryan Gosling.
Equity (2016)
Genre: Drama
The financial thriller by Meera Menon provides a unique perspective on trading and follows the story of a female financial banker on Wall Street. Equity depicts the life of Naomi Bishop and her desire to become a big successful trader but is observed by a prosecutor who strongly believes that she is corrupt.
Plot
In order to prove her worth as an investment banker, Naomi Bishop embarks on a journey to unravel a web of corruption that is present in the system. A trusted colleague betrays her, and she faces professional setbacks in the meantime.
The story gives a female perception of navigating through the finance world and is considered one of the top movies about stock markets. The veteran investment banker has a challenging time dealing with the disdain of her colleagues and overbearing client.
In this drama, all the main roles are portrayed by women who are fighting in a competitive world. It showcases the difficulties the main character is dealing with in the finance world and realistically portrays the positive and negative sides of investing.
Conclusion
Trading movies can be very beneficial for traders as they give insights into what it is like to be a successful trader and make a profit based on the changes in the market.
Most of the mentioned movies illustrate the ups and downs of trading as well as the earnings and risks attached to making investments. Every movie has a deep message for the viewer and can give beginner traders an idea of the financial market but also motivate advanced traders to make the right decisions.