How Can I Start Swing Trading?

Trend trading strategies assume that a security will continue to move in the same direction as it is currently trending. Such strategies often contain a take-profit or stop-loss provision in order to lock in a profit or avoid big losses if a trend reversal occurs. Trend trading is used by short-, intermediate-, and long-term traders. Traders use both price action and other technical tools…

Financial markets typically have three prevailing long-term trends: the bear market, the bull market, or somewhere in between. Swing trading strategy is different under each environment.

Swing trading is less risky than other forms of short-term trading. By relying on technical analysis and holding positions for a short period of time, there is a lower risk that you get stuck holding an unliquidated position. With that said, swing traders must properly identify when to enter and exit positions; if read incorrectly,…

Simple moving averages (SMAs) provide support and resistance levels, as well as bullish and bearish patterns. Support and resistance levels are often useful information when determining a course of action. Bullish and bearish crossover patterns signal price points where you should enter and exit stocks. The exponential moving average (EMA) is a variation of the SMA that places…

Alternatively, to bear markets, bull market trading may be easier. As prices tend to appreciate during these market conditions, it’s easier to buy a security and experience a profit a short while later. However, there are a few things to keep in mind when swing trading during bullet markets:

The first key to successful swing trading is picking the right stocks. There are two key variables to consider when choosing the stocks to swing trade: liquidity and volatility. The best candidates are large-cap stocks, which are among the most actively traded stocks on the major exchanges. In an active market, these stocks will have a high transaction…