What are the different types of stock market trading?

The main aim of trading is to earn profit from short-term price fluctuations. Market participants follow various styles of trading. Some like to enter and exit in a few minutes, while others like holding a position for a few days. 

Here are some of the popular types of trading -

Types of stock trading  

Day trading 

Day trading is when you execute buying and selling within the same day. It is also called intraday trading. It takes advantage of price fluctuations throughout the day with the aim of maximising profits. Day trading has margin and leverage benefits, but at the same time, the commissions and charges incurred are also more.

Day trading may seem lucrative to most people, but it carries significantly more risk than long-term investing. 

Scalping  

This type of trading requires a scalper to use a 30-second or a 1-minute time frame.

A scalp trader or a scalper buys and sells a stock within a few seconds or a few minutes. This type of trading is very quick and requires a lot of expertise. This trader can even take hundreds of trades in a single day.

A scalper trades in huge quantities and makes money from the tiniest price movements. This is why a scalper needs to follow a very efficient trading system and follow disciplined money management rules.

Swing trading

This type of trading is the most favourable option for people who may be unable to dedicate a lot of time to trading. Swing trading does not require you to be very active in the markets. A swing trader can buy and hold stock from a few days to a few weeks with expectations of making a profit from a swing in prices. Here, commissions and charges are less compared to day trading.

While day trading and scalping require a lot of expertise, beginners may start with swing trading. Swing trading doesn't require you to be super active and is less volatile compared to day trading and scalping.

Timeframes like hourly, 4-hourly, or daily should be used while analyzing stocks for swing trading.

Impact of online trading 

Online trading has drastically increased the liquidity in the markets. It has also made trading from home possible. This has increased retail participation in the market significantly. 

Conclusion 

Trading is buying and selling financial securities to make a profit from price movements. It needs expertise and discipline to make money from financial markets. Beginners should only paper trade to find the strategy that best suits them. Then they can start trading with very little capital and then increase the capital once they gain confidence. There are several trading styles, like day trading, swing trading and scalping, which involve different time frames and risk appetites.

FAQ 

Q. What is the difference between margin and leverage? 

A margin is a certain sum of money that a trader keeps with the broker to enter in a trade and hold that position. While leverage is a tool that enables traders to take on positions much larger than the margin they have provided. Leverage is the money borrowed from the broker to trade and take positions in the market more than a trader can afford. A trader has to keep some money or securities as collateral to obtain leverage from the broker. These trades are larger in value than the margin provided. Leverage thus magnifies the returns from trade but also amplifies the risk.

Q. Can beginners earn money from the market?

As a beginner, you should focus on building a profitable system first. Gathering as much information as possible and finding a suitable time frame and trading style should be your primary focus. The profits will follow once you develop a disciplined trading strategy.

Q. What are the types of trading?

There are many types of trading like Intraday trading, Scalping, Swing trading, Positional trading etc.