The HC Commodities Podcast Trading: the hidden $3trillion dollar opportunity with Antti Belt
Nov 12, 2025
Antti Belt, a Partner at BCG and research fellow at the Henderson Institute, dives into the world of trading and the untapped $3 trillion profit potential for CEOs. He discusses why energy and resource companies shy away from trading arms, citing board misconceptions and talent scarcity. Antti also highlights the performance advantages of trading during crises, contrasts traditional trading with tech-driven newcomers, and outlines the exciting future of trading opportunities in sectors like real estate and cloud computing.
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Talent Scarcity Shapes Trading Decisions
- Talent scarcity and intermittent need make in‑house trading teams hard to justify for many industrial firms.
- Antti Belt notes executives fear maintaining expensive teams that are only intermittently needed.
Trading Needs High‑Velocity Tech
- Trading requires a specialized IT stack and tech team that operate at a much faster clock speed than corporate ERP teams.
- Antti Belt warns CTRM and automation are crucial as transaction volumes and reactivity increase.
Barriers Vary By Commodity
- Entry barriers vary: oil trading has huge capital/asset requirements while power and renewables open doors for tech‑led entrants.
- Antti Belt describes new optimizer-style traders using tech rather than classic star‑trader models.