Online Trading - Types of Trading and Their Benefits | 5paisa (2024)

Day Trading

Day trading, a.k.a. Intraday trading, is one of the most common types of trading in the stock market. Although expert traders rely on intraday trading to make higher-than-average profits, it is also the riskiest. Day traders buy and sell stocks or ETFs (Exchange-Traded Funds) on the same day. Since day trading means closing the positions on the same day, you do not need to pay Demat transaction charges.

Day traders analyse the momentum of stocks, indices, or ETFs to place pinpoint trades. Either they buy first and sell later or sell first and buy later. However, if you are a novice trader, it is better not to trade on margin. Margin trading might increase your losses if the trade goes against you.

Positional Trading

Like day traders, positional traders identify a stock’s momentum before buying stocks. Unlike day trading, you cannot sell first and buy later in positional trading. It is a medium-term strategy for brave-hearted investors who can ignore short-term price fluctuations and focus on long-term gains. Positional traders have to pay Demat transaction charges every time they sell their holdings.

Some positional traders analyse the price action of stock to identify the entry and exit points. They draw support and resistance lines on a chart to understand the stock’s journey. Some positional traders rely on technical indicators to guess the stock’s future direction. Some popular technical indicators are RSI, MACD, Volume, Moving Average, Simple Average, etc.

Swing Trading

Swing traders generally analyse the chart in varying durations, such as 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, or even a day chart, to spot the waves of price fluctuations. Swing trading may overlap day trading or positional trading. Traders and investors often consider swing trading the most difficult among the different types of trading in the stock market.

Unlike positional traders, swing traders do not shy away from volatility. Instead, they consider volatility as their best friend. In fact, the more volatile a stock, the better are the income opportunities for swing traders. Hence, if the accurate prediction of the waves is your forte, swing trading is the only thing you need.

Long-Term Trading

Of the different types of trading, long-term trading is the safest. This trading type suits conservative investors more than aggressive ones. A long-term trader analyses the growth potential of stock by reading news, evaluating the balance sheet, studying the industry, and acquiring knowledge about the economy. They do not mind holding stocks for years, decades, or even a lifetime.

Long-term stocks are of two types - growth and income. Growth stocks belong to companies that do not pay dividends to investors. They invest any extra income for the company’s betterment. In contrast, income stocks refer to companies paying healthy dividends at regular intervals.

Scalping

Scalping is a subset of intraday trading. While day traders identify opportunities and stay invested through the day to make profits, scalpers create multiple short-duration trades to profit from the waves. A scalper needs to have high observation power, excellent experience, and an ability to place pinpoint trades.

A scalper does not mind losing a few trades to win a few. At the end of the day, they compare the loss-making trades with the profit-making ones to analyse the profit or loss. A scalper’s trades may last for a few minutes to an hour.

Momentum Trading

Of the different types of trading in the stock market, momentum trading is one of the easiest. Momentum traders try to predict a stock’s momentum to enter or exit at the right time. The momentum trader exits if a stock is about to break out or gives a breakout. Conversely, if a stock tumbles, they buy low to sell high.

Online Trading - Types of Trading and Their Benefits | 5paisa (2024)

FAQs

What are the benefits of online trading? ›

These platforms offer numerous benefits for investors, such as ease of access, flexibility, real-time updates, lesser brokerage charges , etc. Additionally, the online trading platforms provide customised support to their clients, incurring any difficulty with their trades.

What are the 4 types of trading? ›

There are four types of trading: day trading, position trading, swing trading, and scalping.

What is online trading answer? ›

Online Trading is a method that facilitates buying and selling of financial instruments such as mutual funds, equities, bonds, Sovereign gold bonds, derivatives, stocks, ETFs and commodities through an electronic interface. Online Trading has simplified a complex process into a few clicks.

What type of trading is most successful? ›

Conclusion. The most profitable form of trading varies based on individual preferences, risk tolerance, and market conditions. Day trading offers rapid profits but demands quick decision-making, while position trading requires patience for long-term gains.

How do people make money from online trading? ›

As a whole, traders make money by speculating on the rise and fall of the prices of financial instruments. The various markets traders often speculate on are stocks, options, forex, crypto, commodities, fixed income, and other derivatives.

What is the best way to trade online? ›

Your first trade: how to do it
  1. Open and fund your live account.
  2. After careful analysis of the market, select your opportunity.
  3. 'Buy' if you think that market's price will rise, or 'sell' if you think it'll fall.
  4. Select your deal size, ie the number of CFD contracts.
  5. Take steps to manage your risk.

What type of trading is best for beginners? ›

Overview: Swing trading is an excellent starting point for beginners. It strikes a balance between the fast-paced day trading and long-term investing.

What are the 6 types of trading? ›

Summary. HFT, scalping, intraday trading, swing trading, middle-term trading and long-term investing – all these types have their advantages and disadvantages.

How does online trading work? ›

In online trading, an order to buy or sell stocks is placed by brokers. Therefore, matches between buyers and sellers are made, as some traders wish to buy certain stocks, while others would like to sell them. All this happens online in an electronic way.

Is online trading safe? ›

Experts also state that online trading is as safe as offline trading as the financial transactions are always protected. Having said this, it can also be said that nothing in our world is safe. Trading online in capital markets can give you profits by leaps and bounds, but it is also considered as a nest of vipers.

Is online trading a real thing? ›

And, you do not have to work on Wall Street to do online trading. Online brokerages have made it possible to trade online quickly from your home computer or your smartphone. While online trading can bring quick gains for those who time the market correctly, it also carries the danger of substantial losses.

Which trading is best for earning money? ›

If you want to make a profit every day, intraday trading is the route to go. Intraday trading entails purchasing and selling equities on the same day. Purchasing stocks should not be an investment but a means to benefit from price swings in the stock market.

Which type of trading is best for making money? ›

Although expert traders rely on intraday trading to make higher-than-average profits, it is also the riskiest. Day traders buy and sell stocks or ETFs (Exchange-Traded Funds) on the same day. Since day trading means closing the positions on the same day, you do not need to pay Demat transaction charges.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of online trading? ›

Ease of trading is the key advantage of online trading. Moreover, online trading allows you to trade from anywhere and anytime, even from multiple devices. However, there are some limitations of online trading too. They mainly include technical issues and risks of cyber security on online platforms.

Can online trading be profitable? ›

Yes, online trading holds profit potential, contingent on a thorough understanding of the market and a well-informed trading strategy. However, it's crucial to acknowledge the associated risks and the absence of guaranteed profits.

Can you succeed in online trading? ›

How do you succeed in online trading? Succeeding in online trading requires a combination of knowledge, strategy, and emotional control. The digital age has opened up new avenues for traders to participate in various financial markets.

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