My Forex Trading News Online

Friday, September 25, 2009

How To Learn Day Trading From The Pros

By Tim Hunt

Day trading can be an excellent way to make very good money. But, it is not an easy job, as some may imply. You'll need to put in a lot of work to be successful.

Day trading stocks and commodities is a great job and a quite profitable one as well. It requires certain traits for success, and certain habits will need to be internalized.

The first habit that must be cultivated a good sense of time. Day trading is not the sort of job for someone who is always late, or can't get out of bed before 11 AM. The best time for determining how you'll strategize to play the market on a given day is right before the opening bell. The opening bell rings at 5 AM in Hawaii and Alaska, at 6 AM in California, and at 9 AM in New York. Getting up early isn't the only requirement; you'll need to be alert and ready with a good internal clock.

A second necessary habit is the ability to make good decisions with quick quantitative analysis skills. While hunches can make and lose money in day trading, you'll need to read, synthesize, and understand numbers without having to ponder them at length. You'll need to be able to determine financial trends at a glance, and act quickly with that information.

Although you'll need some good quantitative skills, you don't have to be a mathematician to be a successful day trader. You can cultivate your quantitative skills with just a bit of practice.

A third habit that breeds success for day traders is patience and the ability to make keen observations. These habits must be combined with an excellent short-term memory. Patience can be tough to muster when you face the disappointment of missing a stock at its peak, or when you lose money because your low never came to pass. Try not to let these challenges drag you down. Also be sure to keep your cool when you score a winning trade.

The fourth habit you'll need to cultivate is research skills. Day trading, thankfully, does not require the same kind of in-depth numerical analysis as long-term investments, but you'll need a handle on the flow of information so that you can use this knowledge base when making quick judgments. Doing your research ahead of time is the only way to make good judgments quickly. But, don't get bogged down so much by research that you lose the ability to think and act fast.

Bear in mind that you don't have to do all of this research on your own. Top day traders have many tools and services available to assist in the research process.

If day trading is a career that appeals to you, start by building a support network. Your team will include a broker, and investors to help you gain leverage in the market. Bear in mind that you will need to work, and word hard. You'll have to show intelligence, drive, and focus to succeed.

If, after reading the skills listed above, you think you have what it takes to be a successful day trader, day trading may offer you a challenging and fun way to make a great living. It's a job that can be a ton of fun, and can provide tremendous riches ? in more ways than one. - 23314

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