Rockwell Trading The Story of Markus Heitkoetter Markus Heitkoetter tells people who ask him how he started Rockwell Trading that he started it by accident. Eleven years ago, he lived in Munich, Germany, working for IBM. He worked over 60 hours a week and thought that he had paid his dues, and his work was leading to a good retirement and a renewed focus on his family. But one day, he decided that it wasn’t worth it. He decided to move to the United States and settled in Austin, Texas to be a full-time day trader. As more and more new friends asked him what he did for a living.