Quantitative Analysts, or “quants”, use complex algorithms and mathematical models to analyze data and predict outcomes, critical skills in the world of stock trading. Before the 1970s and 80s, successful traders sat down with CEOs and economists to gain exclusive information that, when combined with their intuition, allowed them to hedge educated bets on stocks. As market news became digitized, people with a background in math began to realize that stock markets displayed patterns, and complex models could be used to predict whether a stock was going up or down. They started using computers to analyze vast amounts of data, putting information through algorithms designed by mathematicians and computer scientists that returned instructions on buying or selling a particular stock. As computer technology advanced, algorithms became more complex, and the field of quantitative finance grew. Today, almost every trader, from day traders to massive hedge funds, uses research done by quants to help them decide which stocks to buy and sell.