Regardless of which way the markets are trending, there are people out there doing well for themselves as day traders. Even in the midst of a recession, those who have learned the ins and outs of the market manage to make a tidy sum in their successful stock trading activities.
So what is it that these day traders know about the markets that other traders do not? How do they make profitable trades regardless of how well the stock market is doing overall?
Here are some traits you might want to consider if you're interested in growing a successful trading business.
Understanding the Market
Successful traders know how that the NASDAQ and other indices show only the direction of the market as a whole. At any given time, there are plenty of individual stocks which are moving in the opposite direction.
It doesn't matter if the index is on a downward trend overall. There are stocks which are rising even as the index falls and vice versa.
This could mean that it's possible to select stocks that move in the opposite direction to the average movement in the market and continue to profit from stock trading even during downturns.
Know Your Risk Tolerance
Understanding and accepting your own personal levels of risk tolerance are vitally important factors if you wish to build a successful trading business. Learning about day trading from a person with a much higher level of risk tolerance means that you could potentially end up trading much more than you're comfortable with.
The same thing is true of listening to advice from well-meaning friends and family who have much lower risk tolerance levels to your own. While they may see what you're doing with stock trading to be 'too risky' for their own preferences, you may be happy with the levels you've accepted. Always base your stock trading strategies within your own risk tolerance levels.
Continue to Learn
Picking stocks on the basis of someone else's intuition isn't something that generally leads to successful trading. Do your own research and rely on your own hunches - after getting all of the facts, that is. You should know at least a little about any company whose stock you're interested in trading. Doing this research will help you develop the analytical skills which lead to successful day trading.
Lose The Greed Mentality
While every day trader is out to make money in the market, you can't let greed get the best of you. If you'll make a profit on a stock by selling now, get out while you're still ahead and take your profit instead of risking it all on the chance that the stock will continue to rise. Greed has led many a newly minted day trader to take losses. Remember that if a stock keeps going up that you can always buy in again later on - but keep greed out of the equation if you want to have a successful day trading career. Consider setting sell-trade orders to protect your profits and minimize your risks.
Newcomers to day trading often make the mistake of not listening to the very sound advice they give themselves. These traders may tell themselves that they'll sell once their stock reaches a particular price - but once the price exceeds this point, they let greed take over and as often as not, end up losing money on their trade.
Knowing When To Cut Your Losses
Once the price of a stock you're trading starts to drop, successful day traders know that this is a sign that it's time to get out and cut their losses before things get any worse. Experienced traders will make sure that this happens by setting a stop-loss order to keep themselves from losing money on a stock whose value continues to fall.
Stop-loss orders are something which new traders often forget to use. Instead of being able to cut their losses and move on, they watch in dismay as their stocks fall lower and lower, hoping that their value will rise. These traders often end up with a huge loss instead of a minor setback.
Remove Emotion
A successful stock trading business is not an emotional venture. You need to learn to view your buying and selling as nothing more than a business transaction. Remain objective about the stocks you've chosen and stick firmly to your trading strategy. No matter what your heart or your gut instincts are screaming at you, run your trading business with your head. If your strategy says you should sell your stocks at a predetermined profit margin, then follow your strategy.
Day Trading Program
Many traders find that the difference between success and failure hinges on the trading platforms and analysis software that they use to help them make their trades. While there are traders who do pretty well in the market with just their broker's trading platform, you will almost certainly do far better as a stock trader by using automated trading and analysis software which allows you to keep an eye on several stocks at once. The best of these programs offer stock movement charts which help you to set buy, sell and stop-loss orders based on specific movements in the market - something that many who have well established successful day trading careers swear by. - 31876
So what is it that these day traders know about the markets that other traders do not? How do they make profitable trades regardless of how well the stock market is doing overall?
Here are some traits you might want to consider if you're interested in growing a successful trading business.
Understanding the Market
Successful traders know how that the NASDAQ and other indices show only the direction of the market as a whole. At any given time, there are plenty of individual stocks which are moving in the opposite direction.
It doesn't matter if the index is on a downward trend overall. There are stocks which are rising even as the index falls and vice versa.
This could mean that it's possible to select stocks that move in the opposite direction to the average movement in the market and continue to profit from stock trading even during downturns.
Know Your Risk Tolerance
Understanding and accepting your own personal levels of risk tolerance are vitally important factors if you wish to build a successful trading business. Learning about day trading from a person with a much higher level of risk tolerance means that you could potentially end up trading much more than you're comfortable with.
The same thing is true of listening to advice from well-meaning friends and family who have much lower risk tolerance levels to your own. While they may see what you're doing with stock trading to be 'too risky' for their own preferences, you may be happy with the levels you've accepted. Always base your stock trading strategies within your own risk tolerance levels.
Continue to Learn
Picking stocks on the basis of someone else's intuition isn't something that generally leads to successful trading. Do your own research and rely on your own hunches - after getting all of the facts, that is. You should know at least a little about any company whose stock you're interested in trading. Doing this research will help you develop the analytical skills which lead to successful day trading.
Lose The Greed Mentality
While every day trader is out to make money in the market, you can't let greed get the best of you. If you'll make a profit on a stock by selling now, get out while you're still ahead and take your profit instead of risking it all on the chance that the stock will continue to rise. Greed has led many a newly minted day trader to take losses. Remember that if a stock keeps going up that you can always buy in again later on - but keep greed out of the equation if you want to have a successful day trading career. Consider setting sell-trade orders to protect your profits and minimize your risks.
Newcomers to day trading often make the mistake of not listening to the very sound advice they give themselves. These traders may tell themselves that they'll sell once their stock reaches a particular price - but once the price exceeds this point, they let greed take over and as often as not, end up losing money on their trade.
Knowing When To Cut Your Losses
Once the price of a stock you're trading starts to drop, successful day traders know that this is a sign that it's time to get out and cut their losses before things get any worse. Experienced traders will make sure that this happens by setting a stop-loss order to keep themselves from losing money on a stock whose value continues to fall.
Stop-loss orders are something which new traders often forget to use. Instead of being able to cut their losses and move on, they watch in dismay as their stocks fall lower and lower, hoping that their value will rise. These traders often end up with a huge loss instead of a minor setback.
Remove Emotion
A successful stock trading business is not an emotional venture. You need to learn to view your buying and selling as nothing more than a business transaction. Remain objective about the stocks you've chosen and stick firmly to your trading strategy. No matter what your heart or your gut instincts are screaming at you, run your trading business with your head. If your strategy says you should sell your stocks at a predetermined profit margin, then follow your strategy.
Day Trading Program
Many traders find that the difference between success and failure hinges on the trading platforms and analysis software that they use to help them make their trades. While there are traders who do pretty well in the market with just their broker's trading platform, you will almost certainly do far better as a stock trader by using automated trading and analysis software which allows you to keep an eye on several stocks at once. The best of these programs offer stock movement charts which help you to set buy, sell and stop-loss orders based on specific movements in the market - something that many who have well established successful day trading careers swear by. - 31876
About the Author:
Are you tired of scraping by at your day job? Why not get into the stock trading and make some money the easy way... with the guidance of artificial intelligence! Learn more about how to make money trading now. You can also check trading for a living info.
