A longer ring finger points to improved financial market performance in men, new research shows.
The trait, in which the ring finger is longer than the index finger, is known to indicate heightened exposure to androgens (male sex hormones) while in the womb.
This is thought to lead to increased confidence and quickened reaction times in later life - a theory put to the test by scientists who assessed 44 London stock market traders.
The high-frequency traders had their relevant fingers measured, and correlated to their profit and loss statements over 20 months and also their total time in the job.
"A longer ring finger relative to the index finger is an indicator that a high-frequency financial trader is more likely to be successful," said Dr John Coates of the University of Cambridge.
The study found traders with longer ring fingers had "higher long-term profitability" and tended to last longer in the business.
"The success and persistence of traders exposed to high levels of prenatal androgens suggests that financial markets may be influenced by traders' biological traits," the study said.
The research results are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
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