Hedge fund followers - keep your eyes on the following young people in the near future. After all, it is these youths that will determine the future direction of financial markets.

Trader Monthly has published its list of 30 of the world's top traders under 30, and four London traders are included. Alexander Baring, a trader at The Children's Investment Fund (TCI), Stephan Marks, an independent trader, Alex Rogers of Marex Financial and Mona El Isa of Goldman Sachs, one of just two women to make the grade, are all on the list.

Baring is one of the youngest partners at TCI, the hedge fund run by billionaire philanthropist Chris Hohn. Although being a direct descendant of famed eighteenth-century merchant banker Francis Baring and his eponymous banking empire, the magazine justifies his presence in the top 30. "One might assume he has simply feasted on the benefits of his fortuitous ancestry, but Baring, we understand, has worked hard, putting himself through all necessary paces to reach the top of the hedgerow," it states.

The youngest of them all is perhaps Stephan Marks at age 23. South African Marks, who has lived in the UK since he was 16, started trading with a few thousand dollars and a spread-betting account.

Alex Rogers, 28, started at the Prudential's investment arm M&G. He now has leeway to trade up to USD 200 million a day and he says his secret is sticking, religiously, to a finely honed daily ritual.

Mona El Isa, of Goldman Sachs is one of just two women to make the grade. One ad¬mirer in Trade Magazine sums it up: "You can't have a 30 Under 30 list without her."

We have had a glimpse of top traders below 30. What are the chances of finding a similar age group in a regulatory body? Slim, most would say.