Tag: trading

All trading related articles are found here. Educative, informative and written clearly.

  • Avoid Bad Investment Moves – Strategies that work

    Avoid Bad Investment Moves – Strategies that work

    2 min read

    Strategies to Avoid Bad Investment Moves

    It is possible to avoid many bad investments.

    If you know what “catches” to look out for and which clarifying questions to ask.

    Most bad investment scenarios can be avoided by following simple rules.

    First of all, you have to avoid emotional and personal investing mistakes, wisely avoid.

    Many investors, even the well learned, can confirm they made a rushed and impulsive decision and didn’t avoid a bad investment.

    Also, many have made decisions while high on emotions so as to score instant satisfaction.

    The danger of making bad investment choices cannot be overemphasized. You can use an extensive set of control strategies that people use to limit bad decisions.

    What are some of the bad investment choices you can make?

    * Failures of rationality – This represents the lack of possibility to see the bigger picture. The investor considers decisions in isolation and doesn’t include their impact on an entire portfolio.

    The consequence is that you can invest too much in a single asset class, industry, Or geographic market. Yes, because you know a lot about it and are comfortable with such decisions. 

    * Using a short-term decision horizon – when an investor is ignoring the appropriate goal of long-term wealth accumulation.

    The favor is short-term returns. 

    But you are here to stay. Right?

    The consequence is that losses are more likely in the short run. Much more than over longer time periods.

    People are twice as sensitive to losses as to gains. This behavioral phenomenon is known as “myopic loss aversion”. And their inclination to take short-term risks is too low.  So they often make the wrong investment decisions.
    Strategies to Avoid Bad Investment Moves 3
    * Buying high and selling low – means doing what’s comfortable amidst either bullish or bearish market conditions. The consequence is that when you are buying while markets are high or selling when markets are low is a risky strategy that fails to take advantage of market opportunities. A buy-and-hold strategy turns out to be superior.

    * Trading too frequently – this is the result of multiple emotional and personality-driven characteristic. That produces an irrational tendency toward action.

    The consequence is that investment costs are higher.  As the frequency of making the other types of poor decisions is increased.

    Strategies to Avoid Bad Investment Moves 4
    The experts recommend these seven self-control strategies. They can help counter your tendencies to make bad decisions and avoid a bad investment. The use of these strategies was not limited to investments and often included other behaviors and other important lifestyle decisions.

    Here are the seven strategies and their application to financial decisions:

    1. Limiting options – Purchase illiquid investments to avoid the urge to sell investments when the market is falling.
    3. Avoidance – Avoid information about how the market or portfolio is performing to stick to a long-term investment strategy.
    4. Rules – Use the rules to help make better financial decisions, such as only spending out of income and never out of capital.
    5. Deadlines – Set your own financial deadlines aiming to save a certain amount of money by the end of the year.
    6. Cooling off – Wait a few days after making a big financial decision, before executing it.
    7. Delegation – Delegate your financial decisions with others, allow your investment advisor to manage your portfolio.
    8. Other people – Use the help of other people to reach their financial goals. Make some appointment with your financial advisor to make and execute a financial plan. Certainly, you don’t want all your money in just one kind of investment. So you can safely choose a single advisor or firm to handle a range of investments.

    The stock market’s tendency to produce large gains and losses. So there is no shortage of faulty advice and irrational decisions. 

    As an investor, the best thing you can do to pad your portfolio for the long term is to implement a rational investment strategy. The one you are comfortable with and willing to stick to. 

    If you are looking to make a big win by betting with your money, try the casino.

    You should be proud of your investment decisions in the long run. In that way, your portfolio will reflect the solidity of your actions.

    You would this: Bargain Hunting – The Holy Grail of Investing

    Risk Disclosure (read carefully!)

  • Forex Trading is Profitable. Right or wrong?

    Forex Trading is Profitable. Right or wrong?

    2 min read

    Is Forex Trading Profitable?

    Forex trading is profitable but the market isn’t endless, you have to know that.

    The size of your trade has an important impact on how you can bring a trade out.

    Don’t look at the percentage of what a so-called pro-trader does. People like to think in percentages way too much.

    Percentage of what?

    When you start, you can have someone who would be your ideal or paragon. But you always have to keep in mind that such trader is already experienced in trading.

    She or he does some things spontaneously, and you are the one who just stepped in on this scene. But if you’ve mastered some trading skills and have tested them well on some free demo account, you may have even one advantage.

    The experienced traders have more money, it is a blessing and a burden at the same time. But you can be more flexible to trade with high precision very close to how the market moves.

    What I want to say is, you should never underestimate a “small” position. Forex trading is profitable even in that situation.

    For the FX market, you can be small fish.  

    But that “small fish” can make a couple of hundred USD per pip. Is it good enough for you? Well, that’s why comparing percentages without comparing the actual pot is an unnecessary exercise. 
    Is Forex Trading Profitable? 1
    But it isn’t easy. Hard and smart work lies behind it. Of course, you have to involve a bit of luck to find the right stocks, right things while your motivation is still on the top. But when you make any success, you will see it is worth it.

    But you have to be dedicated to trading in order to be able to trade when markets move the most. If you live in a European time zone it is from the early morning to the afternoon. But if you live in some other part of this lovely planet I would recommend to your attention, one of my older posts.

    Some traders said: I’m trading short term on the 1-minute candlestick chart.

    Take this as a recommendation:

    Average holding time depends on what the markets offer you but it is rarely under 6 minutes and rarely over 20 minutes.

    Stay focused on reversal signals and have pay attention to good ones and fake-signals apart. Support/resistance areas play a role but you need to practice to be good at it.

    You have to treat trading as a profession or a business.

    Only in that way success will come.

    Why I’m saying this to you?

    Is Forex Trading Profitable? 2I have a friend. Forex trading has been an expensive venture for him, indeed. In his first 2 years of trading, he lost $30k. He almost went bankrupt because he was naive and greedy. His main problem was, he entered at the wrong time and exit at the wrong time. No matter what he did he was always on the wrong end. At that moment we couldn’t talk about how forex trading is profitable, right? This improved drastically when he found his own method. (And maybe this is the secret of any successful trader.) Now he has been profitable for over 15 months.

    Forex trading is profitable but not for everyone

    But I’ve seen a numerous amount of people lose everything in trading.
    Hundred and thousand times you should ask yourself:

    Why do I trade? To become rich? Is it a hobby?

    Do I love it or I hate it? Is forex trading harmful to me?

    Why I am forcing myself to all of this? Just for a chance to be a member of the profitable 5% club?

    Did you ever hear the saying: “If you don’t know who you are, the market is an expensive place to find out.”

    And the most important question is: Is trading really worth the effort invested?

    Trading attracts mostly because of the freedom it provides.


    Trading Forex isn’t a “get rich quick” method.

    With constant profits in order to make enough money not only to live but to build up a constant surplus.

    So, you can move on with your plans and plan your life. Maybe your focus on how much money you can make per year isn’t the best.

    You may think you can see better, you know better and you can believe in that. But that is a great paradox and tiny line.

    If you cross it, it can be the biggest tragedy. In every single moment, you have to take care of risk control.

    It doesn’t matter what you see or you think you know.

    Risk control! Double-check! Opened eyes! Use the excel.

    Sometimes, even the things you wrote before can be very helpful. Having some downloaded system is useful but money management is KEY to success.

    To gain knowledge of how to make a profit is much much more than what you can learn from a job in the corporate world.

    The knowledge has to be the goal.

    Yeah, I know. Time is money.

    Forex trading is profitable for me.

    Is it worth it? Yes!

    Should you continue trading? Yes!

    Should you continue with your studying? Yes!

    Should you continue looking for a job? Yes!

    Can you manage to do all of these things at the same time? It is up to You.

    The main factor for success is your permanent education and training. You have to believe in yourself and find what works for you.

    The only thing that brings you to your failures may be your ego.

    And if you aren’t ready to keep going after a series of losses, Forex probably isn’t for you.

    Risk Disclosure (read carefully!)

  • Investing in Cryptocurrency – The Pros and Cons

    Investing in Cryptocurrency – The Pros and Cons

    2 min read

    The Pros and Cons of Investing in Cryptocurrencies 2

    Investing in cryptocurrencies is generally a risky investment. Investing in cryptocurrency could be a good investment, or it could not. It depends on you and your attitude. In crypto’s early days there is no yes or no answer about the wisdom of investing in cryptocurrency. With this in mind, we will cover some pros and cons and give friendly advice. Remember, this isn’t professional advice, we don’t offer professional legal, investment, or tax advice.

    If you don’t just want to buy, sell, or invest in cryptocurrency. If you want to invest in cryptocurrency, you have several options.

    First comes first: You need to start investing in cryptocurrency with some flexibility. You have to be prepared to lose everything you invest in cryptocurrency. It probably won’t happen, but be careful. The least risky coins are the coins that are present the longest time and have the highest market cap and highest volume. Anything other than Bitcoin, Litecoin, or Ethereum is riskier. Bitcoin is the current top coin for resilience, market cap, and volume. Also the most expensive.

    There are several pros and cons to review before investing in cryptocurrency.

    CONS:

    The cryptocurrency market has been very volatile since its beginning. The price of Bitcoin can swing up or down hundreds of dollars in one day. We have already seen a few bubbles and busts in the past. There is a risk of the venture on a given coin even if cryptocurrency is prosperous. Even if cryptocurrency is a good long-term bet, we don’t know if any coin will be the one that sticks around. Even more true for the countless less popular coins with smaller market caps.

    The Pros and Cons of Investing in Cryptocurrencies 1Those with low-risk tolerance have a difficulty; they are inclined to getting weakness and pulling out at a loss while the market is fixing up or going down. An investor needs to be prepared to take a loss or sit on a loss for a while if the market goes down. That requires a certain type of mindset and expendable funds. There are some psychological factors to consider along with economic ones.

    The only way to trade cryptocurrency on the stock market is to buy GBTC (Grayscale Bitcoin Investment Trust), which trades at a premium. The simplest way to buy a cryptocurrency for a novice aside the stock market is via some company. They charge some fees for that, but the lowest fees are on the open exchanges of the internet. Between premiums and fees and finding a broker, all options for trading have costs and it isn’t easy to calculate.

    Spirit level of crypto investors is changeable. Like the Moon. Bad news in term of regulations can send crypto value to drown in one day. But the same news another day may have no effect. If you join some cryptocurrency group on social media, and you’ll note it goes from hot-to-cold with the weather. The market is a bit fussy, I think.

    PROS

    The cryptocurrency market is still young, and the most optimistic investors are predicting future prices, some of them claim that it can be for e.g. Bitcoin, $220,000 by 2020. Cryptocurrency is a very risky but potentially rewarding bet. More, if cryptocurrency is in a bubble, the trend could very well be toward cryptocurrency being an important medium of exchange and store of value in the future if the current price is lower than the highest price we will ever see. That makes it a good long-term bet. You can often buy high low and sell high. There is money to be made.

    The Pros and Cons of Investing in Cryptocurrencies 4
    Despite all its risks, crypto is possible the most exciting asset 21st century. It is decentralized, works on blockchain technology which is here-to-stay. You can find billions of motives about why everyone has to be excited about crypto. As much as reasons to be conservative in your investment.

    Don’t dump your whole saving into crypto, but don’t hesitate to put a small investment you are ready to lose, just to learn and have fun on your beginning. Later you will have the know-how.

    TIP

    If it is the bubble, then pop it!

    One of the reasons for taking extreme caution is the current potentially high price. If the price goes back down to 2015 levels, then the number of PROS will increase. The unknowns and high price and volatile market make it risky, but there are plenty of reasons to be excited despite all that especially long-term.

    Investing in cryptocurrencies is very risky, markets are volatile and the technologies are still quite young.

    But, they are still a great opportunity for anyone interested in investing.

    Treat them as you would any investment and do your own research.

    Step into this new world while is time.

    Risk Disclosure (read carefully!)

  • What is the best day trading strategy?

    What is the best day trading strategy?

    What is the best day trading strategy?
    Day trading is connected to great risk but also with great potential to profit.

    By Guy Avtalyon

    So, let’s see what is day trading.

    Day trading points to the rapid purchase and sale of stocks throughout the day. With the goal that purchased stocks will climb or fall in value for the short frame of time, seconds, or minutes.

    Day traders believe that through certain day-trading strategies, they can add up small daily wins into long-term profits.

    Day traders have their own jargon and terminologies, online communities for day-trading tips, support, and strategies.

    But you have to know – day trading is risky and only for speculative investors.

    The day trading strategies

    Scalping Strategy This is the philosophy of how small wins can add up to a lot of money at the end of the day. The scalper sets a buy and sells target and sticks to these levels.

    The scalping strategy is fast and traders make buys and sell within a few seconds. This is one of the best day-trading strategies for traders who can make quick decisions and act on them without regret or doubt.

    These traders have enough discipline to sell immediately if they see a price decline. In that way, they are minimizing losses. This strategy isn’t for people with short nerves. But still, it is very popular.

    Momentum Trading Investor jumps on a stock whose price is moving up. When to use the momentum day trading strategy?
    This strategy is very popular for beginners because it focuses on news and recognizing strong trends.
    Stock movement of 30 to 40%, smaller stocks, which trade faster due to the reduced number of outstanding shares, a unique and major move in price, driven by a catalyst like a surprise earnings growth, a drug company’s huge, new treatment launch or news that a small company will be acquired by a larger firm. Option stop – loss is required as insurance.
    Just hold your position and wait to see indicators of reversal and simply get out. Also, you can decrease the price drop and round your price target at the moment the volume starts to decline.

    The most important part of this kind of day trading strategy is to be extremely aware of the expected news and earnings reports. If you execute it correctly, you’ll be able to profit from each trade. And you trade just short as few seconds per trade. Wonderful!.

    Breakout Trading – When the stock price rises above the former top resistance price you can use this strategy. You should monitor the level of stock trading volume or how many shares are changing hands. Breakout trades on high volume are more likely to be sustainable at the new higher price than those breakouts with less volume. It’s not as easy as looking at a chart, recognizing the resistance, and then buying after a breakout.

    Breakout trading focuses the point when the price clears a particular level on the chart. Also, you have to notice that the volume is increased. So, you have to enter into a long position after the stock breaks above the resistance level. The other possibility is to enter a short position when the stock breaks below the support level.

    To explain this more detail, after the stock trades beyond these levels, the volatility will increase and the stock price will usually follow the trend, meaning it will move in the direction of the breakout. Always keep in mind these two levels: resistance and support. You have to see how frequently the stock price hits them. More hits, more volatility, more important the levels become.
    Plan your entry point according to which level the price hits. If the price is set close or higher than the resistance level is, you’ll need to take a bearish position. The contrary is when the price hits the support level or move below. In that case, you’ll need to take a bullish position.

    Your exits should be set reasonably. Calculate the average recent changes in price to set your price target. For example, if the average price is 3 points more than the last few swings, your price target will be rational. When the stock price hits your target price, just exit the position and take your profit. You had a winning trade.

    Day trading on news

    News Trading – You must be keeping an eye on the business news, day traders can capitalize on the popular daily stories.

    If the news is bad, you might short the stock during the day by “borrowing” shares of the stock from the investment firm. And then selling those borrowed shares.

    Similarly, if the stock price declines as expected, you should buy the shares back at the lower price and profit from the difference less a commission payment. If the news is good, you go long or buy the stock outright and sell the shares after the price rises. 

    Pullback Trading – The first step is to look for a stock with an established trend. Then, monitor the trend until there’s a price decline from the trend. If the established trend is upward, then the pullback is an entry point for the day trader to buy.

    If the trend completely reverses after you buy-in, there’s no need to panic. The trend usually continues in the trending direction for a long time.

    You may find pullback ”candidates” from the stocks making the biggest gains.

    Is there any risk involved

    But be aware!  ”Day trading is extremely risky and can result in substantial financial losses in a very short period of time,” according to the SEC website.

    And one advice: If you’re afraid to try your hand at day trading, only invest money that you can afford to lose.
    Or don’t try this!

    Read more about Strategies to Avoid Bad Investment Moves

     

  • How I Lost 10.000 dollars On A Trading Platform

    How I Lost 10.000 dollars On A Trading Platform

    How I Lost 10.000 dollars On A Trading Platform
    Lost money in trading isn’t a big deal. But lost self-confidence is the disaster.

    How I lost 10.000 dollars on a trading platform? It was a painful experience and I want to share that with you. When you hear that somebody lost $10,000 on a trading platform, what is your first thought? How stupid he/she must be!

    Thank you. I’m that one. I lost! So, what?

    My entire savings were gone. Don’t even think that I traded without knowledge. I went through all the forex courses available to the time and I’ve spent a lot of money to pay for them.

    Let’s go back to that moment in my trading history.

    Only a few hours ago everything was fine. But what happened? Let’s take a look. I lost! OMG, I lost all my savings!

    First of all, I was so-called, “day trader”. There was no reason I couldn’t have made a billion dollars day trading. Actually, I was the exception. I made a nice sum of money before stopping. The secret was that I treated the thing with respect. I did not plan to get rich overnight, but in a reasonable time, yes. My plan was to become indecently rich in 2-3 years. And I was on my way to becoming so. In fact, I was like many others. Becoming filthy rich for 2-3 years?

    How stupid I was!

    Fun fact: I was trading without proper preparation and education.

    Ha? What do you think about me now?

    I never listened to what my father told me:

    “Don’t gamble, it is not worth it. Build up your assets with honest work and time. There is a time and a place for everything. With gambling, enough is never enough.”

    I thought I knew everything and I have the holy grail in my hands. Just because I bought a trading robot. Yeah, that was very smart of me. Well, after 6 months, my trading account was gone. 

    Kaboom! It exploded and disappeared in its own smoke! That’s how I lost 10.000 dollars on a trading platform.

    I lost everything! How it was possible? I believed marketers and some guys with their “track records”, and hundreds, thousands of testimonials. It is hard to resist when you read or hear some of them.

    Would you really like to know how I lost 10.000 dollars on a trading platform?

    How I Lost 10.000 dollars On A Trading Platform

    Take a look at the image above. What can you see? Stop-loss levels. My trading strategy didn’t have stop-losses. I didn’t see the point of using it! The truth is, with a stop loss, you’d get sold out at a loss, and then the market would move back and you would have ended up making money if not sold. But I didn’t see that opportunity, I just wanted to earn a big sum of money.

    I had no strategy except to make money

    And I really believed that the robot knows what it is doing. I started investing slowly. It was fun. I checked the price of my investment, followed the news on Twitter, and talk about the company’s products. Then the stock price plummeted and I didn’t have a stop loss and that ruined me. Can you understand how I lost 10.000 on ta trading platform now?

    Only then I realized that I had chosen the wrong stock, the wrong company.

    My skipping of stop-losses and liquidating my position at a very low price. That triggered a chain reaction with all my positions being liquidated in a few minutes. The market was having one of its ‘corrections’. I’d received multiple margin calls overnight that had gone unanswered, so my CFD provider sold my positions out.

    The people I was playing against were in many instances the big financial institutions. These institutions’ employees aren’t so many traders as risk managers.

    I didn’t realize that trading is like a game of tennis.

    You need to know who your opponent is

    Today I know what was obvious, that this would never have worked. Do you really think that some rich guy believes in some trading robot account to make his buying decisions?

    Of course NOT! But  I have seen a number of miracles happen.

    And the truth is only ONE! Trading without the right knowledge leads to a deep disaster.

    When I see people who are day traders and they are following some crap newsletter or some coach with a fudged up track record, I am going crazy.  I can’t even see someone watching FOREX algorithm sales pitch or sniveling over some poor stock report.

    I have that one desire, I just want to say to them: you are guaranteed to lose money in any period of time unless you learn to trade well. If you trade without the proper education you should go to some casino or play the lottery. You would have better chances to win. Not to lost.

    Yes, how I lost 10.000 dollars on a trading platform? I faced that beast.

    The nature of the beast is that even if you are financially educated and you think you know everything about trading, investing or markets at all, you still haven’t guaranteed to win.

    For you to know, I’m not selling anything. It didn’t even cross my mind to teach you how to trade. Hm, maybe I could sell my ideas, I could run some newsletter and give you trading ideas? That kind of person makes a lot of money, indeed. And they are generous when they have some secret ideas to share with you for free.

    How I lost 10.000 dollars is true BS! 

    I am not saying all that information is bad, you just have to be careful and try not to follow anyone uncritically.

    The Forex systems and robots stirred by internet marketers are a joke. Especially if you think that’s how they make money on Wall Street. And believe me, they DO make tons of money. The markets are full of sharks and they will eat you quickly if you don’t stick to simple and reasonable rules instead of their predatory advice.

    Forget about making 20% per month. That’s how poor people like to think.

    I learned a few key points when I lost on a trading platform exactly $10,000. My risk tolerance was pretty high. I never felt the need to sell. I regret losing the money, but I never regret making the investment.

    The lesson to myself was: you have to know whether it will move up or down and markets must agree with your judgment and you also need to know when the stock will move.

    To be successful with individual stock investing, you must predict its future movement AND when that movement will come. You’ve got to be fluid as a trader and there are no guarantees.

    The Forex market is the most volatile market in the world and therefore it cannot be manipulated.

    KISS, live long and prosper, and trade smartly!

     

  • Stock Market Is Going To Crash? Where Could You Put Your Money?

    Stock Market Is Going To Crash? Where Could You Put Your Money?

    Do you believe that the market will crash or you know? There is a big difference between what you believe and what you know.

    2 min read

    market crash

    Market crash or market not crash. If you truly believe the market is going to crash, there are a lot of sorts of places where you can put your money.

    You could buy gold or real estate or you could take an aggressive approach. And try to capitalize on stocks’  by loading up on investments designed to rise when the market falls or you could move it all into cash.
    But be honest.

    Do you really believe in such a scenario? Market, crash!

    There is a big difference between what you believe and what you know. Do you know that the market crash is close? When? Tomorrow? Next week?

    On the other hand, I can understand that someone can recognize market crash in this uproaring and uncertain times.

    We all remember, OK most of us, March 2009 and market crash.

    Everyone was extremely agitated about the falls in the stock market. And people were feared that the stock market might continue falling. Many people wanted to sell the holdings in his investment portfolio, move the proceeds to cash and sit out the market turbulence.

    And you know that emotions have an important influence on investor behavior and how do they make decisions.

    This can often lead to investors failing to capture the returns that are there for the taking. And as a result, suffering poor financial outcomes and according to some research, we are twice as sensitive to financial losses as we are to making gains.

    But is it so today?

    Is this the same situation? Will the market crash? Or it may not be. Think about it.

    The ones who like to predict disasters pointed to any numbers of reasons why they believe the market is headed to a crash.

    You have the choice to pick. From the growth-slowdown scare in China that sent stock prices down 12% in the summer of 2015; Brexit and the election of Donald Trump. Anything is supposed to be catalysts for a market rout. Obviously, some prediction of the market’s downfall is going to turn out to be right. But after the turnaround began in March 2009, it’s not as if investors knew the bear had run its course.

    While we believe we know where stocks are headed, we actually don’t.

    The same goes for market pros who may speculate and prognosticate (sometimes even provide valuable insights into what’s driving the market). 

    But they don’t really know what the financial markets are going to do in the near term. They don’t know will the market crash. 

    I don’t think it makes sense to shift your money around in an attempt to outguess the markets, whether that means going to cash to avoid a setback or moving to an investment you think will thrive while the market drop.
    That doesn’t mean you should sit back and do nothing.

    You can do the following things:

    The most important thing you want to confirm is your asset allocation or the percentage of your holdings that are invested in stocks.

    That will determine how your portfolio holds up if the market takes a major dive.

    Take this time to go over your holdings and tally up how much you have in stocks and how much in bonds and you’ll see how your portfolio is divided up between stocks, bonds, and cash.

    Second, figure out where your asset allocation should be.

    I’m sure you want a blend of stocks and bonds that will generate high enough returns so you can reach your financial goals but at the same time isn’t so risky that you’ll sell stocks in a panic during a major stock rout.

    Think back about how you handled past downturns or how you reacted when stocks began to dip and dive. You want to come as close as you can to a blend of stocks and bonds that you’ll be okay holding in a variety of market conditions. And then make all necessary adjustments.

    Then you feel you’ve got a portfolio that will provide sufficient gains during rising markets and enough protection during routes.

    You’ll be able to hang on until the eventual recovery, regardless of what’s going on in the market. The idea is to make sure your portfolio doesn’t become too aggressive during market upswings. Or too conservative when stocks take a hit.

    Making dramatic changes such as fleeing to cash or switching to different investments altogether, may be challenging at times when every news story or TV show you see seems to suggest that the market is on the edge of Armageddon.

    But you don’t want to let fear and emotions dictate your investing strategy and lead you to make impulsive decisions.

    Can I guarantee that this approach can provide you with the best results during the long – term? Of course not.
    This is just another  ”what would be if it were” scenario.

    Risk Disclosure (read carefully!)



  • What Is better: Trading or Investing and what are the differences?

    What Is better: Trading or Investing and what are the differences?

    2 min read

    Let us explain the differences between traders and investors, at first.

    Stock traders are individuals (or entities) engaged in the trading of equity securities, or the transfer of other financial assets.

    They work either for themselves or on behalf of someone else.

    They may operate as agents, hedgers, arbitrageurs, speculators, or investors.

    Stock investors are individuals (or entities) who use their own money to buy equity securities. The goal of the stock investor is to gain returns, which come in the form of income, interest, or appreciation in value also known as capital gains.

    DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TRADING AND INVESTING

    Investing and trading may often be classified together.

    But, they are both different ways of attempting to profit from the financial markets.

    The goal of making investments is to progressively increase wealth over a long period of time by using the buying and holding of a portfolio of stocks, mutual funds, bonds and other methods of investment.

    Trading involves short-term buying and selling of stock and commodities such as currency pairs and other instruments. The goal is earning profitable returns which outperform a traditional buy and hold investing.

    For example, while most investors may be satisfied with a 10% annual return, traders may seek to achieve this per month.

    Period of acting

    Return on investment and payback period seem to be the two most commonly used financial metrics for making sustainability investment.

    Trading is a method of holding stocks for a short period of time. It could be for a week or more often a day! The trader holds stocks until the short term high performance.

    On the other hand, investing is an approach that works on buy and holds a principle.

    Investors invest their money for some years, decades or for the even longer period. Short-term market fluctuations are irrelevant in the long-running investing.

    Growth of capital

    Traders look at the price movement of stocks in the market. If the price goes higher, traders may sell the stocks.
    So we can say, trading is the skill of timing the market but investing is an art. 

    The real art of creating wealth by compounding interest and dividend over the years by holding quality stocks in the market.

    Risk of both fields

    Both, trading and investing, include risk on your capital.

    But trading involves higher risk and higher potential returns. The price might go high or low in a short while.

    Investing takes a while to develop. It involves comparatively lower risk and lower returns in the short run. But might deliver higher returns by putting together interests and dividends if held for a longer period of time.

    Daily market cycles do not affect much on quality stock investments for a longer time.

    Essentially differences

    Trading is a one day match while investing is a championship.  

    Similarly, traders are skilled, technical individuals, they learn market trends to hit higher profits in the stipulated time. It is related to the psychology of the market.

    Investors, on the other hand, analyze the stocks they want to invest in. Investing also includes learning business fundamentals and commitment to stay invested for a longer-term.

    It is related to the philosophy that runs the business.

    Traders put money in a stock for a short-term,  buy and sell fast to hit the higher profits in the market. Missing the right time may lead to the loss.

    They look at the present performance to hit the higher price and book profits in the very short term.

    Investors keep themselves away from the trends and invest in value.

    They invest for a longer period of time keeping the attention of the stocks they hold. They wait till the stock reaches its potential.

    You are the one to decide is your goal  trading at a higher price making a smaller profit in a short time. Or holding/investing on and sell at much higher price in the long run is what you aim for.

    A key rule of trading is to only do so when you are certain that there is an upcoming future event which is predicted to drive the stock value of an organization or entity higher.

    When trading, there are certain strategies which must be put in place.

    Traders should take note of the news and use it to make an educated decision which will hopefully enable them to make a profit afterward. This shows the difference between trading as a short-term investment and investing as a long-term method of gaining wealth.

    When investing, the goal is to bank profits over the long term.

    With dips in value simply providing the opportunity to buy more of the commodity in question. Investing means sitting it out when the commodity rises in value as there will likely be more good news ahead for the company and more profits to be made.

    If you are new to the world of investing and trading, it’s important to know which you are going to choose.

    The imperative to increase your financial gain is what defines it.

    Knowledge of the subject is important. 

    If you are knowledgeable about the stock market but have little idea about how to trade Forex, for example, you will naturally head over to the stock market for your first investment.

    General advice: Don’t get investing and trading confused – it could seriously hurt your portfolio!

  • Broker and You! Fighting or cooperating?

    Broker and You! Fighting or cooperating?

    Broker and You! Fighting or cooperating?
    The broker is known as a market maker and market maker takes the other side of your trade.

    By Gorica Gligorijevic

    Broker and you, what a nice relationship! Okay, you think your Forex broker is on your side. Nice! Wonderful! I’m excited! You have it! You found the best!

    But, are you sure that your broker wants especially you to be the winner? At the same time, 95% of Forex traders lose. And you have special status? Really?

    Do you really think your broker has built his business on the minority 5% who win? C’mon! Don’t be silly!

    Whether you’re already in the 5% elite (congrats) or working your way to it, you must know these three things. It can make the difference between long-term successes or Forex failure.

    How does your broker see you? 

    Really, what does he think about you? Actually, from your broker’s point of view, .you are an “A” group or a “B” group.

    The broker is not emotional. He has numbers and percentages in front of him.

    One group traders make up the 95% who constantly lose and the other traders are people who have been consistently profitable or more than 3 months.

    Group A, group B. 95% or 5%. Nothing else. If you are a newcomer, the broker will automatically add you to the “A” group until you prove otherwise.

    But, WHY?

    You have done nothing to be there, you are beginner!!! You just opened all of this for your first time!

    The answer is simple, your broker knows that 95% of new traders will lose, so he’s 95% sure he’s put you in the right group.
    Well, he isn’t sure 100%, notice that! If you lose, he wins. Only that matters!

    Forex brokers are known as market makers and market maker takes the other side of your trade. Never forget that someone somewhere is holding the other side of your trade.

    Let’s say you decide you sell 1 standard lot of EUR/USD. Now for you to take that trade, someone else has to buy 1 standard lot of EUR/USD. Right?  In other words, there always has to be a buyer and a seller for a trade to take place.

    If your broker is a market maker, he’s holding the other side. In other words, if you win, he loses.

    Simple? Yeah!

    But a bit unpleasant. Brokers make most of their money betting on the fact that you are going to lose. This is the conflict of interest 1/1!

    Honestly and fortunately, the majority of brokers don’t take the other side of your trades.

    Instead, they pass them on to other traders, acting more along the lines of what you had in your mind that a ‘broker’ is. Most of them simply connect buyers and sellers and take a commission on facilitating the trade.

    Your broker, your true and professional broker, will never take the other side of the trade, and he will never bet against you as a client. This secret has been revealed! Share with others!

    And be cautious, it never can be too much.