Day trading is the practice of active buying and selling of the stocks, options, futures and currencies within a trading day. All trades are completed within a day so that after the closing of market the day trader do no hold any open positions and therefore are not subjected to any overnight risks. The traders trade https://npfinancials.com.au/e against very small changes in price of the financial instruments. Day trading is usually a vigorous trading activity requiring high concentration and time during trading hours.
Day traders can be grouped into two broad categories as scalpers and momentum traders. Scalpers trade in large quantities completing each trade within seconds or minutes. Most scalpers are usually large financial firms or investors like institutional traders. Momentum traders are usually individual traders who trade according to the stock market trends. The trading volume of momentum traders usually depends on the market condition. Some other popular trading strategies include range trading, news playing and rebate trading.
Day trading can be considered as an offspring of high speed electronic communication networks. Most day traders today trades markets from a distant location such as their home or work area. They use trading software, the direct access trading platform, installed in their computer connected to internet to execute trades in real-time. In order to qualify for the trades, the trader must maintain a margin in the corresponding market. It is the day trading broker who maintains the margin for the trader and provides the direct access trading platforms. Although there are web-based trading platforms available, they are not suitable for day trading.
The most important thing, other than the money, trading system and market account, that a day trader need is the market information. Market data enables day traders to pick suitable products to trade. Day traders need live or real-time market quotes as a small delay in information can cause them huge loss. It is the trading system that they use serve for this purpose. Advanced systems provide these information as graphics and are usually have alerts and triggers to automate trades. Day trading systems also use technical indicators and various mathematical tools to facilitate the picking of stocks, futures, currencies, etc.