Anthony Yip, the Secretary of the Minister of Economic Development, collaborates with the “Three Financial Giants”: Eastman Properties president Ronald Man, Evergate Construction Materials president Fok Kin and Marco Media president Cheung Yung to manipulate the financial marketfor profit. In order to generate an even greater gain, Yip brings back financial genius Wai Hong from Myanmar, where he had been hiding from international authorities, in order to set the stage for a new financial crisis. Wai manipulates the stock market with a series of expert moves, but because of back-to-back involvement in numerous incidents of financial interference, he attracts the attention of Securities & Futures Commission investigator Claudia Fang ) while, wall the players are unknowingly walking into a trap set by Yip. Yip and Wai were formerly members and the best brother-in-arms of an underground financial elite team CASH for the last ten years. Together with two other members, Nick Cheuk and Pamela, they defeated some financial giants to prevent a market-maker’s actions in an attempt to turn back the damage done to the market ecology. Unfortunately, Yip suddenly turns on them, betraying everyone in his team. From then on, Wai and Yip become sworn enemies. Hong forms his own CASH team with new members BJ, Sarah, Dow and Master to stop Yip from another of his conspiracies.
The project was first announced at the 2017 Hong Kong Filmart on 12 March 2017 as a five-episode miniseries to be produced by Andy Lau, co-produced by Lau's Focus Television Production and Fox Networks Group, and set to be aired on Fox's Star Chinese Movies. The series is created by Cora Yim, the head of Chinese entertainment and territory head of Hong Kong for Fox Networks Group with Wong Kwok-keung, directed of the acclaimed 2014 HKTV series, The Election, was set to direct. With a total budget of US$5 million, development for the series took a total of three years.
Filming
The series held its production commencement ceremony in April 2017 where the cast was also unveiled, which include Francis Ng, Joseph Chang, Yu Nan, Patrick Tam, Maggie Cheung Ho-yee, Carlos Chan, Poon Chan-leung, Jacky Cai and Jiang A-Joe. Filming for The Trading Floor began in May 2017Cyberjaya, Malaysia, where locations and sets portraying an older Hong Kong were available. Production wrapped up in late June of the same year.
Release
On 8 May 2018, the series released its official trailer and poster and was announced its premier on 24 May 2018 on Fox's Star Chinese Movies network and the streaming platform, Fox + On 23 May 2018, the series held a global press conference where it was attended by producer Lau, director Wong and cast members Ng, Chang, Tam, Cheung, Liu, Chan, Cai and Fish Liew. The series premiered the following day, airing two episodes, while each new episode will air every Thursday.
