Firm History
The story of Wiklund Trading, LLC dates back to 1974, when Mark Wiklund was just a sophomore at DePaul University. Mark was at the Off Track Betting (OTB) when he heard a lot of yelling and screaming down the hall. His curiosity promptly got to him and he decided to investigate what he thought was a fight in progress. What he didn't know was that the "fight" was actually the Mid America Commodity Exchange trading floor. Tom Willis was the first trader to greet Mark. He showed Mark how he just made $0.10 in wheat by purchasing ten contracts at $4.95 and selling them at $5.05. Mark compared the $1 profit (10 contracts times $0.10 per contract profit) to his $2.30 an hour wage and wished Tom the best of luck in trying to earn a livable wage. Tom quickly stopped Mark to show him that each contract was 1,000 bushels and his $0.10 profit on ten contracts was actually $1000. This correction caused the light bulb to go off in Mark's head, and after 3 years he began trading on his own. He started with $1700.
Mark quickly realized that he needed a clerk to help him with the vast amount of opportunities he saw. As time went by, more clerks were added, clerks became partners, and this one man operation turned into a small, profitable company. Today, the firm handles many of their business activities in the same manner. The great clerks more often than not become great partners. While most of the trading business has been moved from the trading floor to the computer, the fire which was sparked by Mark's first trading floor experience is still alive and burning today.
"It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change."
- Clarence Darrow -