What Trading Style Is The Best For Stock Trading?

We have now explored the four main stock trading styles: scalping, day trading, swing trading, and position trading. To recap, the main difference between the four stock trading styles is the length of time that trades are held for. 

Scalpers hold their trades for a few seconds, or at most, a couple of minutes. Day traders hold their trades anywhere from a few seconds to a couple of hours. Swing traders usually hold their trades for a couple of days. And, position traders hold their trades anywhere from a couple of days to several years.

Have you thought about what type of trader you could be?

Finding the Trading Style That Suits You

It is important to note that not one trading style is better than the other. All four trading styles have pros and cons, and it is entirely up to you to decide which one to apply in your trading.

They’re all just as good as YOU find them. That said, choosing the trading style that fits you best can be difficult, especially if you are just starting up. It is a crucial step for your long-term success as a trader and is a choice you must take at some point of your trading career.

So how do you go on about choosing one? Here’s one way to do that. We are going to help you make the right choice by analyzing crucial factors that will help you reach your destination.

Time

First, don’t rush things. Take your time making this decision. Find a trading style that matches your life and personality. If you do not have time to monitor trades throughout the day, you clearly cannot get involved in scalp or day trading.

On the other hand, if you are planning to build a career as a day trader and can dedicate yourself to trading, then position trading is not the best option. Simply put, the time you have to invest in trading is the most crucial factor you need to consider.

Open-mindedness

Be open-minded when choosing your trading style. Even if it doesn’t sound like something you would like, there is no harm in trying it; who knows, you might end up enjoying it!

Trading is a self-discovery journey, so it’s all about trial and error. Perhaps you think you can be an excellent scalp trader, but you will end up as a position trader. Even if it’s a cliche – you need to try different things to figure out what is the best trading strategy for you.

Flexibility

Be flexible when exploring the different trading styles. It’s not all black and white. Explore them all before you settle for one. Also, remember that you are not bound to one type of strategy.

If you have the budget, you can open a trading account where you scalp and day trade and another account to build a portfolio with a long-term outlook. 

Consistency

Once you have established a trading strategy, stick to it. One of the biggest mistakes new traders make is changing trading styles at the first sign of trouble. Don’t do that. Instead, stick to your trading plan and watch it reward you for your loyalty in the long run.

Becoming a successful trader will not happen overnight. Even prop trading firms give traders an evaluation period to learn the markets and to develop and practice their strategy before they are approved and become verified prop traders. 

If you follow these steps, you will likely find yourself a successful trader and get on the right path to a consistent trading career. If you don’t, you might end up being a grumpy trader who doesn’t make consistent profits and eventually will lose your money.

Final Thoughts

Choosing the right trading style is one of the first steps you need to take to start your trading career. There are no shortcuts in trading. If you enter the market without having a trading plan and a trading strategy – you will not succeed. Simple as that. 

Before you start, ask yourself these questions – what type of trader are you, what’s your budget to invest in trading, how much time can you dedicate to trading, and what is your final goal?

But whatever your choice might be, you need to know how to read charts. So let’s move on to the next course about stock trading charts and stock demo trading.