Joyce, Queen of the Mountain

Female Courage and Hand-To-Hand Combat in the World’S Largest Money Pit

This memoir narrates the inspiring story of the first woman to physically trade financial futures in the pits at the Chicago Board of Trade.

It takes many skills to be a good bond trader. You have to have an ego and great nerve, and you must be smart, quick, and mentally strong. You have to learn from your mistakes, you have to know when to have patience, and you have to be physical. Author Joyce Selander has all of these.

At barely five foot five and110 pounds dripping wet, she ventured into the hand to- hand, financial combat every day for thirteen years as the first woman to physically trade financial futures in the pits at the Chicago Board of Trade. In this memoir, she tells of standing toe-to-toe with five hundred shouting, sweating, testosterone-hyped male traders all trying to reach the top of the financial mountain. Through her work, Selander met diplomats and US presidents; dated secret service agents; and saw murder, mayhem, and a personal plot to overthrow the Taliban, and 9/11.

Joyce, Queen of the Mountain provides an insiders look at the workings of the Chicago Board of Trade and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and gives insights into the strategies and styles of its key players. A story of ethics, innovation, and visionary leadership, it narrates the inspiring memoir of one woman who rose to the top of her profession.