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Gary Stevenson (economist)
Gary Stevenson (born 1986 in Ilford) is a British economist, former financial trader, and YouTuber known for his economic analysis and activism against economic inequality.[2] From a Mormon single-income working class background in Ilford, Stevenson won a scholarship to study for a BSc in economics and mathematics at the London School of Economics, before becoming a financial trader at Citibank in 2008 at age 21. Stevenson became a millionaire in the wake of the great recession by betting on a large increase in economic inequality, and that growing poverty would cause interest rates to stay low.[3] By trading on this prediction, he claims to have been Citibank's most profitable trader globally in 2011.[4][5] In 2014, Stevenson retired from financial trading to study for an MPhil in Economics at the University of Oxford. In 2020, he started the YouTube-channel GarysEconomics, where he campaigns against economic inequality and explains economic concepts to a wider audience.[6][7] Stevenson is a contributor to policy debates on inequality in Britain and has contributed to outlets such as The Guardian, BBC, LBC, and Novara Media. In 2024, Stevenson published The Trading Game through Penguin Books, a memoir about his years working in the finance industry.[8] The book rose to the number one spot on the Sunday Times bestseller list and received generally positive reviews.[9][10][11] Early lifeStevenson's father was a post office worker in Ilford, London, United Kingdom.[3] He grew up with a sister, Debris Stevenson, and a brother.[5] As a child, Stevenson worked as a paperboy, and attended Ilford County High School until 2003 when he was expelled at age 16 due to a "drug-related transgression".[3] He then completed his A-Levels at Valentines High School where he achieved four As.[12] In 2005, he enrolled in the London School of Economics and studied maths and economics.[3] He later wrote in his memoir that his university experience led him to conclude that "a lot of rich people expect poor people to be stupid". He worked for DFS, earning £40 a day.[13] CareerInterest rate traderStevenson began his career as an interest rate trader in 2008 at age 21 after winning a "card game" based on trading,[5][14] initially being hired by Citibank as an intern and then as a full employee.[13] He took advantage of the 2007–2008 financial crisis,[3] receiving his first bonus in early 2009 of £13,000,[13] and earned just under £400,000 in his first year, followed by his first million pounds by 2010.[3] He also bet on the Greek government-debt crisis in 2011.[15] Stevenson has since said that he became "Citibank's most profitable trader, in the whole world" in 2011 with a peak $35 million profit achieved for the bank that year.[16] Stevenson states that he generated this profit by trading based on the prediction that interest rates would not rise due to the impact of wealth inequality upon demand.[3][5] He believed the wealthy tended to save their money rather than spend it, instead investing it in property.[17] The $35 million figure is supported by Stevenson's colleagues.[7] However, his "most profitable trader" claim was disputed by eight of his former Citibank colleagues in a 2024 Financial Times article. His colleagues have said there was no way that Stevenson could have definitively known where he ranked in terms of trader profitability in Citibank as there was never any official global ranking. Stevenson has responded to the article by stating that "I stand by what I’ve said in the book, I have nothing further to add."[16] After becoming disillusioned with his life at the time, Stevenson moved to Tokyo temporarily. Upon returning he has said he attempted to leave Citibank through a "charity clause" in which he would work for a charitable organisation for a year, but was denied this. One of his colleagues has stated that the "charity clause" was "essentially gone" by the time Stevenson tried to use it. Stevenson then states that he was signed off work for 6 months by a doctor, which was followed by work in an administrative job at the bank for a year, before he was allowed to leave the bank with his deferred stock of around £1.5 million to £2 million.[16] Stevenson retired from trading in 2014 when he was 27,[3] after burning out.[7] CampaigningStevenson enrolled at Keble College, Oxford[3] to study for a Master of Philosophy in economics,[18] writing a thesis titled "The Impact of Inequality on Asset Prices When Households Care About Wealth".[3][14] "Depressed and disillusioned" with the education he was receiving,[3] and annoyed that "change isn't going to come from there,"[15] he involved himself in the work of Thomas Piketty, Emmanuel Saez, Gabriel Zucman, Atif Mian, Amir Sufi, and Ludwig Straub.[3] When the COVID-19 pandemic began, he predicted a rise in house prices and in the cost of shopping,[3] and that inequality would increase.[5] He joined the Patriotic Millionaires and Millionaires for Humanity to campaign for wealth tax, and set up the YouTube channel GarysEconomics with the mission of explaining economics to the wider public.[3][19][20] In 2021, he signed an open letter to Rishi Sunak alongside 29 other UK millionaires, calling on the then chancellor to introduce a wealth tax and stating that "instead of raising national insurance and taking £1,000 a year away from families on universal credit, the chancellor, who is a multimillionaire, should be taxing himself and people like me – people with wealth."[21] He has also proposed limiting the length of time for which people can keep their wealth.[2] He has said that he does not want wealth taxes for people with £1 million, but for those with family offices and over £10 million.[7] In 2022, Stevenson appeared in the Channel 4 documentary Cryptocurrency: Has the Bubble Burst?[22] In 2023, he featured in Steffan Roe Griffiths' short film, Gary Stevenson - Life Out of Balance,[23] and appeared on BBC Politics Live.[19] He wrote a memoir, The Trading Game,[20] named after the event held by Citibank which allowed him to obtain an internship there.[24] It was acquired by Penguin Books in a six-figure deal,[20] and released in March 2024.[13] Joris Luyendijk of The Guardian wrote that it was "a well written and often darkly funny book that makes a convincing case that high finance is as toxic, reckless and deeply cynical as ever."[13] Books
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