Day trading is a style of buying and selling stocks, shares, and related financial instruments once or multiple times within one day. This trading style focuses on trading during small price fluctuations to use the market situation to their advantage.
Day trading is surely a trading style that can generate profits if done correctly. However, it can turn into a disaster for people who haven’t worked on the basics and those who follow a poorly developed trading strategy. Hang on with us as we share with you basic principles, day trading aspects, and ways you can use to get the best possible outcomes.
Information Is King
Besides developing a strong understanding of day trading, it is crucial to keep an eye on international news, current affairs, worldwide events, and related stock market news. Top traders use this information to their advantage and can predict future market trends. However, becoming an expert will surely take time.
An easy way to practice this technique is by choosing a few stocks and studying news relevant to the markets you have selected. Over time, this practice will help you understand the news or events that directly affect the market and give you the ability to make nearly accurate predictions.
Time and Funds
A majority of accomplished day traders risk around 1 to 2% of their total portfolio when executing trades. You will need surplus money to keep in your trading account and be ready to either make profits or experience losses.
Nevertheless, maintaining a balance is crucial. Furthermore, day trading requires the trader to analyze trends and markets, especially during trading hours. If you have a limited amount of time to spare, then day trading might not be a feasible trading strategy for you.
Trading Platforms
You can start experimenting and check out the day trading platforms available to get a hang of how things work. Not many brokers offer secure and reliable platforms for high-velocity trading as most are not designed to handle the volume of orders a day trader puts in and the fee the broker charges for every opened trading position.
Trading strategists providing services to traders and investors at netpicks.com suggest that developing a trading style is crucial for the best outcomes. Therefore, start experimenting with what trading platforms are offering and then tweak up the techniques and strategies as you gain knowledge and experience. Finding brokers with a low commission rate on trades will benefit day traders as high commissions will decrease profitability by many folds.
Penny Stocks
Remember to avoid trading penny stocks as they can be delisted from the stock market and lead to further trading issues. The chances of making profits out of penny stocks are pretty bleak. Therefore, only trade when you have done adequate market analysis and have a promising day trading strategy.
Trading Times
Stock price volatility is a major aspect that comes into play when day trading. Most traders wait for the market to open to start placing their orders which leads to increased price volatility. It might be easy for a seasoned day trader to recognize trading trends and profitable patterns but difficult for beginners to execute trades effectively. Therefore, give at least 20 minutes of your time to study market patterns and avoid making instant decisions.
Be Realistic
Most day traders are only able to make profits in almost 60% of the trades. This means that not every trade executed has profitable outcomes. When day trading, always set realistic expectations that seem achievable. Furthermore, use trade techniques like applying a limit order which will follow buying or selling according to your set price. Many aspiring traders become anxious and execute trades without properly evaluating the market which leads to significant losses.
Patience is key when you want to earn profits from trading. You will encounter times when you have to control your nerves and keep emotions at bay while using logic to execute effective trades. Lastly, when you have made a trading strategy, try to stick with it for some time so that you can understand these outcomes. If the strategy is not working out as expected, try a different strategy or tweak it up according to your trading style.
Day trading takes a lot of practice, patience, and most importantly, implementing the right strategy at the right time. Besides the above-mentioned tips, there are a plethora of other techniques that should be explored to develop a complete understanding of your options. The best way to move forward in day trading is by giving time to research, understanding the basics, finding a reliable trading platform, and then implementing the tips to gain experience and skills for better outcomes.