Trading black gold one barrel at a time

CLIENT: BALMORAL ENERGY
OUTLET: THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW

BJ Jarrett has used persistence in seeking a career in oil: By Jessica SierFor five weeks in 2010, a 20-year-old wannabe oil baron camped outside a boutique hedge fund's offices in United Arab Emirates.He had run into a smooth-talking French oi…

BJ Jarrett has used persistence in seeking a career in oil: By Jessica Sier

For five weeks in 2010, a 20-year-old wannabe oil baron camped outside a boutique hedge fund's offices in United Arab Emirates.

He had run into a smooth-talking French oil trader in the thronging Buddha Bar in Dubai and became convinced his fortunes lay in black gold. Not trading the futures, swaps and options that dominated Bloomberg terminals and lined the pockets of young investment bankers, but the physical trading of oil barrels. Moving it from one place to another.

"Most guys want to sit behind a screen and make oil money, I'm much more interested in being involved in the actual stuff that makes the world turn," says Jarrett, a fast-talking Sydney native.