Whether you’re a seasoned day trader, a curious beginner, or simply fascinated by the world of finance, watching how the markets play out on screen can be one of the most powerful forms of education — and entertainment — available.
From Oscar-winning documentaries to Hollywood blockbusters and gripping TV series, trading movies offer rare insight into the psychology of risk, the mechanics of markets, and the human cost of greed. We’ve curated the ultimate list of the best trading movies, documentaries, and TV shows every trader should watch at least once.
Bookmark this page — it’s going to be a long and rewarding watch list.
📋 Table of Contents
- Best Trading Movies of All Time
- Finance Movies Worth Watching
- Trading & Finance TV Series
- Must-Watch Trading Documentaries
- Our Top 5 Picks for New Traders
- Frequently Asked Questions
🎬 Best Trading Movies of All Time
These films put trading, Wall Street culture, and financial markets front and center. From edge-of-your-seat thrillers to character-driven dramas, these are the trading movies that have stood the test of time.
1. Wall Street (1987)
Arguably the most iconic trading movie ever made, Oliver Stone’s Wall Street introduced the world to Gordon Gekko — the slick, ruthless corporate raider whose “greed is good” speech became the defining motto of 1980s finance culture. Charlie Sheen plays the ambitious young stockbroker drawn into Gekko’s web of insider trading. A must-watch for anyone entering the markets for the first time. IMDb: 7.3/10
2. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
Martin Scorsese’s three-hour epic starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Jordan Belfort is a wild, cautionary tale of excess, fraud, and the dark side of the brokerage world. Based on a true story, it’s as entertaining as it is alarming. IMDb: 8.2/10
3. The Big Short (2015)
Possibly the most educational trading movie of the past two decades, The Big Short tells the true story of a handful of investors who saw the 2008 housing market collapse coming — and bet against it. With an all-star cast including Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, and Steve Carell, it makes complex financial instruments like CDOs and mortgage-backed securities surprisingly accessible. IMDb: 7.8/10
4. Rogue Trader (1999)
Ewan McGregor stars as Nick Leeson, the derivatives trader whose unauthorized speculative trading single-handedly brought down Barings Bank — one of the oldest financial institutions in Britain. A sobering look at what happens when risk management fails. IMDb: 6.4/10
5. Boiler Room (2000)
A college dropout lands a job at a suburban brokerage firm and quickly realizes the “too good to be true” sales operation isn’t quite what it seems. Boiler Room is a gripping look at pump-and-dump schemes and high-pressure sales tactics. IMDb: 7.0/10
6. Margin Call (2011)
Set over a tense 24-hour period at a fictional investment bank during the early stages of the 2008 financial crisis, Margin Call is a quiet, intelligent thriller about the moral choices made when an institution realizes it’s sitting on a financial time bomb. Kevin Spacey and Stanley Tucci lead an excellent ensemble cast. IMDb: 7.1/10
7. Trading Places (1983)
Before the era of “dark” finance films, this Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd comedy explored the commodities markets with wit and charm. Surprisingly accurate in its depiction of futures trading — and enormously entertaining. A true classic.
8. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010)
Oliver Stone revisits the Gordon Gekko universe in this sequel set in the aftermath of the 2008 crash. Shia LaBeouf plays an idealistic young banker who finds himself entangled with the newly released Gekko. IMDb: 6.2/10
9. Arbitrage (2012)
Richard Gere plays a hedge fund magnate scrambling to conceal a critical mistake before it unravels his empire. A stylish, suspenseful look at the high-stakes world of hedge funds and financial deception. IMDb: 6.6/10
10. Pi (1998)
A cult classic that follows a mathematician obsessed with finding patterns in the stock market using a supercomputer. Dark, cerebral, and visually striking — a fascinating exploration of quantitative trading and the search for market predictability.
Other Notable Trading Movies
Beyond the top picks, several other films are well worth adding to your watchlist: Rollover (1981), Limit Up (1989), Dealers (1989), Other People’s Money (1991), Barbarians at the Gate (1993), Rounders (1998) — which focuses on poker but translates well to trading psychology — The Bank (2001), and Owning Mahowny (2003), a film about compulsive gambling that explores the psychology of risk in a way every trader will recognize.
💼 Finance Movies Worth Watching (Not Strictly Trading)
Not every great finance film is about trading desks and stock tickers. These movies are essential viewing for traders who want to understand broader financial culture, human psychology, and the business world at large.
Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
Though set in a real estate sales office rather than on a trading floor, this film is required viewing for anyone in a performance-driven financial role. Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, and Alec Baldwin deliver powerhouse performances in a story about pressure, competition, and the hunger to close the deal. The legendary “coffee’s for closers” monologue alone makes it worth watching. IMDb: 7.6/10
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
Will Smith’s portrayal of Chris Gardner — a struggling salesman who fights his way to a career as a stockbroker — is one of cinema’s great stories of tenacity and resilience. A reminder that the mental toughness required in trading is built through adversity.
American Psycho (2000)
A satirical, darkly comic portrait of 1980s Wall Street excess through the lens of Patrick Bateman, a fictional investment banker with deeply disturbing inner life. It’s more cultural critique than trading tutorial, but it captures the dehumanizing competitiveness of high finance in a way few films do. IMDb: 7.6/10
Inside Job (2010)
This Academy Award-winning documentary offers an exhaustive breakdown of the systemic failures and regulatory negligence that led to the 2008 global financial meltdown. Narrated by Matt Damon, it remains one of the most thoroughly researched and devastating indictments of modern finance. IMDb: 8.2/10
📺 Best Trading & Finance TV Series
For traders who want something that goes beyond two hours, these TV series offer extended deep dives into the world of finance, trading, and Wall Street culture.
Wall Street Warriors (2006–)
An HD documentary series that follows real-life Wall Street professionals — traders, analysts, brokers — as they navigate the intense pressures and rewards of financial careers. Across three seasons, it offers an unfiltered look at what life on Wall Street actually looks like day to day. IMDb: 7.1/10
Bull (2000–2001)
A fictional drama set inside a Wall Street brokerage firm, following the professional and personal lives of stockbrokers. Short-lived but fondly remembered for its authentic portrayal of trading culture. IMDb: 7.5/10
Traders (1996)
A Canadian drama series following a group of traders at a fictional Toronto investment bank. One of the few shows to authentically capture the day-to-day grind of professional trading, with strong performances and realistic storylines.
🎥 Must-Watch Trading Documentaries
If you want to truly understand financial markets, documentaries offer something Hollywood films often can’t: real people, real consequences, and real lessons. Here are the most important ones.
Trader (1987) — The Paul Tudor Jones Documentary
Filmed before the October 1987 market crash, this rare documentary follows legendary trader Paul Tudor Jones II, offering a genuinely rare look at how a top-tier futures trader operates. Jones even predicted the crash on camera. Notoriously hard to find — Jones has reportedly tried to suppress its distribution — which only adds to its legendary status among traders.
Floored (2009)
An intimate documentary following open-outcry pit traders in Chicago as electronic trading threatens to make their profession obsolete. A fascinating portrait of a dying breed of trader and the human drama of technological disruption. IMDb: 6.7/10
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)
The definitive account of how Enron — once one of America’s most celebrated companies — collapsed in one of the biggest corporate fraud scandals in history. Essential viewing for understanding how risk, ego, and deception can destroy even the largest institutions. IMDb: 7.5/10
Million Dollar Traders
A BBC reality series that takes eight ordinary people — none of them professional traders — gives them a million dollars in capital, and puts them to work in a real trading firm. An honest, often humbling look at what separates consistently profitable traders from the rest.
BBC — The Love of Money (Parts 1, 2 & 3)
A three-part BBC documentary series examining the causes and consequences of the 2008 global financial crisis. Featuring interviews with key players, it provides one of the most thorough and accessible accounts of how the financial system came to the brink of collapse.
Trillion Dollar Bet — The Midas Formula (BBC Horizon)
The story of the Black-Scholes options pricing model — one of the most influential mathematical formulas in financial history — and the hedge fund (Long-Term Capital Management) that used it to nearly destroy the global financial system. Compulsory viewing for anyone interested in derivatives or quantitative finance.
The Ascent of Money (PBS, 2008)
Historian Niall Ferguson traces the evolution of money, banking, bonds, stocks, and insurance through the centuries, revealing how financial innovation has shaped civilization itself. Broad, engaging, and brilliantly presented.
BBC — 1929: The Great Crash (2009)
A detailed look at the events leading up to and following the Wall Street Crash of 1929 — still the most catastrophic market collapse in history. For traders, understanding historical crashes is essential context for understanding today’s markets.
The Day the Bubble Burst (1982)
A dramatized documentary recounting the 1929 crash through the experiences of those who lived it. Historically rich and remarkably relevant given how market bubbles continue to form and burst decades later.
Open Outcry
A documentary capturing the atmosphere, culture, and mechanics of open outcry trading pits before the digital era took over. A time capsule of a trading world that has largely vanished.
25 Million Pounds (1996)
A BBC documentary examining the collapse of Barings Bank through the actions of Nick Leeson, whose unauthorized trades resulted in losses of £827 million. A powerful companion piece to the feature film Rogue Trader.
The China Hustle (2017)
An eye-opening investigation into fraudulent Chinese companies that listed on American stock exchanges, deceiving investors on a massive scale. Essential for anyone trading in international equities or emerging markets. IMDb: 7.1/10
Too Big to Fail (2011)
An HBO dramatization chronicling the 2008 financial crisis through the eyes of Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and the key decision-makers who fought to prevent total economic collapse. IMDb: 7.2/10
⭐ Our Top 5 Picks for New Traders
If you’re new to trading and don’t know where to start, these five films offer the best combination of entertainment, education, and insight into how markets — and the people who trade them — actually work.
- The Big Short (2015) — The most educational trading film ever made. Watch it before you read any book on market crashes.
- Trader (1987) — A rare, authentic look at how a great trader actually thinks. Seek it out at all costs.
- Million Dollar Traders (BBC) — The most honest depiction of what it’s like to start trading with real money.
- Inside Job (2010) — Essential context for understanding systemic market risk.
- Margin Call (2011) — The best fictional film about the human decisions behind financial crises.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best movie about stock trading?
Wall Street (1987) is widely considered the most iconic stock trading movie ever made. For accuracy and educational value, The Big Short (2015) is the top recommendation for modern traders.
Are trading movies accurate?
Many trading films take creative liberties for dramatic effect, but the best ones — particularly documentaries like Inside Job, Floored, and Trader — are highly accurate. Feature films like Rogue Trader and The Big Short are also based closely on real events.
What documentaries should every trader watch?
Every trader should watch the Paul Tudor Jones documentary Trader (1987), Million Dollar Traders, Floored, and Inside Job. These four alone provide an exceptional foundation for understanding trading psychology, market mechanics, and systemic risk.
Are there any TV shows about trading?
Yes — Wall Street Warriors is the most authentic documentary series about real-life traders. Bull (2000) and Traders (1996) are the best fictional TV dramas set in trading environments.
What can traders learn from finance movies?
Trading films teach risk management through real-world cautionary tales, help traders understand market psychology, illustrate the consequences of greed and overconfidence, and show how systemic forces shape individual outcomes. They’re also, frankly, highly motivating.
Final Thoughts
The best trading movies, documentaries, and TV shows do more than entertain — they teach. They reveal how markets behave under stress, how traders think under pressure, and what separates the few who thrive from the many who blow up their accounts. Whether you watch them for inspiration, education, or simply to unwind after a long trading session, every film and documentary on this list is worth your time.
Which trading movie has had the biggest impact on your thinking? Let us know in the comments below.
