From Inbox to Stockmarket: Becoming a finance journalist

In her final year of J-school, Sia Shete (external link)  was looking for answers. She started thinking about what she would be doing after graduation and what her career would look like.

Shete found her answer in the fall 2025 semester while scrolling through Journalism at TMU’s opportunities and events email blast to students, where she saw a job posting (external link)  for TraderTV, a stock market focused streaming channel.

They were looking for an on-air host for their new show in the afternoon (external link)  that would bring stories to life through anchoring live segments, delivering breaking news and interviewing guests.

It was her opportunity to experience the fast-paced newsroom environment outside of the classroom.

Hosting TraderTV was Shete’s first time covering the stock market.

The new experience had Shete feeling jittery when she went on-air. During her first time, they also didn’t have a teleprompter for her to work with, but she said that she was grateful for that in the end.

“Speaking off the bat for topics such as the stock market is very important. Understanding the lingo, immersing yourself in the world of finance, and most importantly, believing that one day with effort and consistency, you will get to a point where it just becomes as easy as a conversation,” she said.

The role has given her a lot of confidence. Not just about the stock market, but where she sees her professional and personal life headed as well as being able to converse about world topics more freely.

“I am making a space in a male-dominated field. Stocks, finance, and investments have, for as long as I have known, been dominated by the opposite gender,” she said. “Nothing wrong with that, but it also feels great to have an amazing co-worker and a bold woman at whose side I work with on the big desk, Adara (LePage).”

Once Shete comes into work she starts building out what she’ll be talking about on The Rundown and when her co-host Adara is not in the studio, Shete will cover the entire day, from coming in between other co-hosts’ segments with news throws or comments, or friendly finance-themed banter.

Shete was also added to The Afternoon Rundown, where they “[choose] the top five stock tickers selected by our audience in the chat and provide news/discuss how they are doing, how they currently compare to their previous positions. I co-host this segment with my coworker Cherif (Ghobrial).”

Her usual segments include breaking news of the day, economic releases, and Shete explained if there are, she will cover a small-cap segment. “Covering small market capitalization companies on the NYSE—since our audience is in the U.S., we cover the NYSE.”

And sector watch, “where I take a look at the market as a whole, the S&P 500, and talk about specific sectors such as energy/finance/tech/health tech and discuss important happenings or news—and if nothing, I just take an overall look at the stock heatmap and discuss it with the audience.”

Then she’ll finish off her day with some crypto and currency talk.

Looking back at her time in the J-school program, she said that everything she learned in JRN 314: Reporting for TV Workshop with associate professor Nicole Blanchett she has used at TraderTV Live.

“I am forever grateful for her guidance, love, and patience with me when I was at one of the lowest points in my life, but she still continued to push me through the semester and helped me end it with a bang, hosting the final show of the semester and class,” she said.

Shete also wanted to thank assistant professor Angela Misri for her guidance in second year and in On The Record, as well as, associate professor Sonya Fatah, who trusted her and got her involved in the International Live Journalism Festival.

She said she hopes to never lose touch with any of them.

Reflecting on her new job and finding the answer she was looking for, Shete said, “While I would have never pictured myself working in a financial journalism setting, I totally do now. I have fallen in love with the world of finance journalism.”