Day Trading Strategies?

[dlvr073]

I am somewhat new to day trading and want more information and knowledge from those who have had success before I take more risk. I have been waiting until late morning/early afternoon and buying at the lows of the day and selling for quick profits. I understand most day traders lose money so I feel like I need more strategies and knowledge. Anyone have any good strategies? Is there a book or website anyone could recommend?

[JFrank]

Hi there!

Before making any transaction, there are things to consider like:

1.Stocks can be very unpredictable. If you want to buy a stock and hope to sell it at a higher price, you need to monitor or check the computer often. Frequent observation is needed so that you can make an informed decision. Your internet connection should be reliable so that you won’t lose in any of your transactions.

2.Beware of day trading because even if you earn huge profits today, there is still a possibility of losing even a larger amount in the days to come. If you’ve committed mistakes in the past, you need to learn from them. Risking your investments is not a good idea so try to be very careful with all your transactions, online or offline.

3.You must be patient. Again, you must always take your time and don’t be hasty with your buying or selling decisions. If you’re unsure of a certain transaction, get out immediately.

Indeed, day stocks promises a lot of profit to those who are willing to take risks but this doesn’t mean that they can simply make uneducated decisions. Investing in day stocks requires careful thought and analysis of the market trends, along with other factors.

[Breconeer]

I am somewhat new to day trading and want more information and knowledge from those who have had success before I take more risk. I have been waiting until late morning/early afternoon and buying at the lows of the day and selling for quick profits. I understand most day traders lose money so I feel like I need more strategies and knowledge. Anyone have any good strategies? Is there a book or website anyone could recommend?

I am a short term trader, and occasionally I daytrade.

I would suggest identifying a particular group of say five stocks that you think might be readily daytradable at times (ie, which typically move up or down during the day by a big enough percentage to outweigh the buy/sell price spread and any broker costs), and merely watching them closely over a preiod of several weeks to determine any particular habits they display, especially in reaction to certain types of news.

I am based in the UK. Formal stockmarket news announcements from companies mostly come at 7am. The market opens for dealings at 8am.
If a price moves very strongly from the 8am start (because of news specific to that stock) it will very often rebound after 20-30 minutes, as early traders bank their winnings. It might then resume its initial direction a further 10-15 minutes later. This is a pattern I see quite often, and which I exploit.

Another situation that can be exploited is when some seriously bad news hits a company, the price index for that sector will echo the move to some extent (depending how big that company is within that sector). This will sometimes trigger an automated sell-off of other companies in that sector. But as soon as people realise that these other companies are not themselves affected by whatever hit the first one, their price will quickly recover.

[JFrank]

To be able to succeed at trading, you must be fully aware of how to strengthen your trading mindset.

Trying your luck at trading is as good as trying your luck at a card game table in a casino, you take a gamble by placing your bet on what you consider your aces, try to establish a fallback position by managing your risks and how to play with your cards to make the most out of every possible gambling situation you are in, whether you win or lose.

Here are some common tips on how to strengthen your trading mindset.

Always take full responsibility for your trading decisions.

As a rule of thumb, most investors simply follow the crowd, but successful traders make up their own minds.

Although you should always be open to good advice from other experts, but the final and ultimate decision rests upon you and not with anybody else.

You can always try to focus on the opportunity to learn since there's plenty of it, but don’t let it cloud your perspective or determine the choices you make.

Avoid the pitfalls of over-trading.

There are basically two types of over-trading - trading too often and trading too many shares.

If you are trading too often, remind yourself that there's really no good reason to trade constantly, since extreme over-trading creates stress, produces high commissions but sometimes often leads to losses.

This is so because market forces do not last forever and time has shown various examples of the law of gravity in the trading market- that whatever comes up must go down.

Instead of grabbing every stock that comes along, make sure each trade setup meets the criteria of your trading plan, don’t be too over cocky or too selfish.

To prevent trading too many shares, use a risk calculator to determine the appropriate position size before you click the enter button. It relieves stress to know that the amount at risk for each position you hold is safely proportioned to the size of your entire account, this is asset management at work.

Always go easy on yourself.

There's a tendency for traders who take responsibility for their actions to be tough on themselves.

After all, this gives credence to the saying that ‘do not cry over spilled milk.’

This could be a good opportunity for some positive self-criticism, but don't slam yourself too hard or too often, since even the best traders make mistakes.

When you do, learn from them quickly and then let it go.

Avoid yelling at yourself, as self inflicted psychological damage is tough to overcome, so it's best to avoid it entirely.

Always think like a winner.

Thinking like a winner turns you into a winner, since the sum of your thoughts has an interesting way of showing up in your life.

Thoughts are like muscles, the ones you use the most will grow to become the strongest. Work on the thoughts you want to develop and focus on them regularly, since it has the tendency to become action, action become habits, and habits determine results.

Always think of success and you are much more to be on your way to success.

Lastly, take every effort to relax.

Even though trading is serious business, the best traders know how to laugh - especially at themselves.

Having fun and enjoying at what you do is a very good motivator to give you focus on making money and earning it on trading.

So know how to strengthen your trading mindset and be on your way to success.

[sharetipsinfo]

What you must NOT do

1. Don't panic

The market is volatile. Accept that. It will keep fluctuating. Don't panic.

If the prices of your shares have plummeted, there is no reason to want to get rid of them in a hurry. Stay invested if nothing fundamental about your company has changed.

Ditto with your mutual fund. Does the Net Asset Value deep dipping and then rising slightly? Hold on. Don't sell unnecessarily.

2. Don't make huge investments

When the market dips, go ahead and buy some stocks. But don't invest huge amounts. Pick up the shares in stages.

Keep some money aside and zero in on a few companies you believe in.

When the market dips --buy them. When the market dips again, , you can pick up some more. Keep buying the shares periodically.

Everyone knows that they should buy when the market has reached its lowest and sell the shares when the market peaks. But the fact remains, no one can time the market.

It is impossible for an individual to state when the share price has reached rock bottom. Instead, buy shares over a period of time; this way, you will average your costs.

Pick a few stocks and invest in them gradually.

Ditto with a mutual fund. Invest small amounts gradually via a Systematic Investment Plan. Here, you invest a fixed amount every month into your fund and you get units allocated to you.

3. Don't chase performance

A stock does not become a good buy simply because its price has been rising phenomenally. Once investors start selling, the price will drop drastically.

Ditto with a mutual fund. Every fund will show a great return in the current bull run. That does not make it a good fund. Track the performance of the fund over a bull and bear market; only then make your choice.

4. Don't ignore expenses

When you buy and sell shares, you will have to pay a brokerage fee and a Securities Transaction Tax. This could nip into your profits specially if you are selling for small gains (where the price of stock has risen by a few rupees).

With mutual funds, if you have already paid an entry load, then you most probably won't have to pay an exit load. Entry loads and exit loads are fees levied on the Net Asset Value (price of a unit of a fund). Entry load is levied when you buy units and an exit load when you sell them.

If you sell your shares of equity funds within a year of buying, you end up paying a short-term capital gains tax of 10% on your profit. If you sell after a year, you pay no tax (long-term capital gains tax is nil).



What you MUST do

1. Get rid of the junk

Any shares you bought but no longer want to keep? If they are showing a profit, you could consider selling them. Even if they are not going to give you a substantial profit, it is time to dump them and utilise the money elsewhere if you no longer believe in them.

Similarly with a dud fund; sell the units and deploy the money in a more fruitful investment.

2. Diversify

Don't just buy stocks in one sector. Make sure you are invested in stocks of various sectors.

Also, when you look at your total equity investments, don't just look at stocks. Look at equity funds as well.

To balance your equity investments, put a portion of your investments in fixed income instruments like the Public Provident Fund, post office deposits, bonds and National Savings Certificates.

If you have none of these or very little investment in these, consider a balanced fund or a debt fund.

3. Believe in your investment

Don't invest in shares based on a tip, no matter who gives it to you.

Tread cautiously. Invest in stocks you truly believe in. Look at the fundamentals. Analyse the company and ask yourself if you want to be part of it.

Are you happy with the way a particular fund manager manages his fund and the objective of the fund? If yes, consider investing in it.

4. Stick to your strategy

If you decided you only want 60% of all your investments in equity, don't over-exceed that limit because the stock market has been delivering great returns.

Stick to your allocation.

[JFrank]

It’s also a good idea if you have a broker so that all your trading concerns can be monitored. You can’t possibly become an exceptional trader without the help of fellow traders. You can learn a lot from your fellow traders and their mistakes in the past. Listen to what they are saying and try to comprehend. By being a good listener, you can go a long way.

Online stock trading is great. You don’t have to give you up your current job just to be able to trade. As long as you have an investment, you can already buy or sell stocks. Do not buy or sell stocks if you’re still not very familiar with the trading process. Ask your broker how things are done online so that your actions can be guided.