Things That Make My Life As A DayTrader Easier

Because I’m the owner of StockJumper, a big message board on the Internet, people ask me about many topics every day. Something a lot of people inquire about is “What stock trading software do I use, and what other resources do I recommend?” Many subscribers want to know what broker to use, what kind of computer, how many monitors etc., etc.

I figured I would answer a few of these questions in a public form so hopefully I wont have to answer them repeatedly.

Brokers: I strongly suggest you look into using one of these two day trading software programs: The two that I really like are cybertrader pro and MBTrading, with a preference for MBTrading. I really only prefer MBTrading because it was what I started with. Make sure you remember we’re talking about daytrading, if you are a non-intraday investor there are different tools that will be better for you. The major things you need to look for is speed of execution and customer service when you’re choosing a provider for daytrading. Commissions are really not as important as you would think. Since the market for brokerage is so competitive there is little differance in costs, and where there is additional cost there is additional benifit. Having a trade go through slowly, or even worse incorrectly, can end up costing you hundreds of dollars in time and money compared to the slight additional cost of choosing the right broker.

For a long time I’ve been telling people that when you attempt to trade stocks intraday with software that isn’t fast and simple is like trying to win a marathon as a person with no limbs. Be cautious also of people who make recommendations of their own discount broker. Most have never even seen an MBTrading or CyberTrader system. Suffice to say, the differences are drastic.

Quotes and Data Feed: Depending on which broker you choose, you may also need a stand-alone quote/data feed. I suggest you ask the broker you choose to make a recommendation here. It’s likely that they have had experience with a lot of different data feeds and know what works best with their system. However, who ever you do choose, make sure you have real time charting, Level II quotes for both the NASDAQ “and” the Dow listed stocks.

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Filed under: Day Trading

An insight into How to Trade Stocks

It is not a bad idea to earn money from the stock market but the major problem that you can face is the volatile and the unstable nature of the market! The diverse nature of the market makes it a favorite destination for the risk lovers and they know that the essence of a successful trade lives at the root of being prepared. Trading in the stock market is not a rocket science and it is just that you will need cautious planning before you start. Do not be surprised to find only three simple governing factors when you are done with the question of how to trade stocks! They are, ‘a plan’, ‘a system’ and ‘a proper expectation based on mathematical grounds with a solid logic’.

If you think that this is not correct then you are partly true and the reality is that along with those over simplified forms you also need to know the forces driving the stock market and the underlying dynamics. A little more details is required in terms of understanding the indicators, knowledge of technical analysis and the ability to speculate so that you have the answer to the question of how to trade stocks. It is accepted if you say that predictions can go wrong! Truly speaking, no one on the face of the earth will say that you are not right but the fact is that predictions on the basis of previous history of the market behavior are an instrumental factor in stock trading. Summarizing the entire thing, in order to know how to trade stocks, you will have to have some good predictions ability, ability to analyze and to act in proper time. May be it is true that the stock market is difficult, dynamic, unstable, mysterious and risky, the bottom line has a simple conclusion and simply states that you need to be prepared to know how to trade stock.

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Filed under: Stocks & Mutual Funds

Anybody can learn stock trading!

People may think that stock trading is not a cup of tea for them and that they will commit a life time mistake if they step in the trap. This is not true and it is all about pushing in some confidence in them and they will trade! Everyone agrees to the fact that the stock market is a high risk zone but it can be avoided and profits can be reaped by minimizing those risks by carefully eliminating our own mistakes!

There are a few basic rules that you need to follow to learn stock trading and it is only then that you can enjoy the benefits of extra income from the stock market without getting bankrupt! All that you need to be a good trader is that you must have some proper planning and have some good risk management strategies. You will not be blamed if you disagree to the fact by saying that it is easy to say! The truth is that it is actually easy and anyone can learn stock trading. Breaking down to the elemental explanation, all you require is that you must know your needs and your available resources and then build up a proper strategy to earn profit. With a little more clarity, it can be said that you need to understand the forces which make the market work and how do they do so! The factors that you need to know in order to learn stock trading are usually economic indicators along with social and political factors. If you are capable of reading trends, accomplishing technical analysis and speculating then you can trade stocks! Identifying and understanding the stock movements, i.e. identifying the natural ups and downs of the market is needed to build strategy and hit upon the right set of speculations based on past history. The market can be extremely volatile at times and hence, it becomes important that you have a pre-defined set of risk management strategies kept in your pocket.

Want to learn stock trading? Read reviews of popular trading courses at www.tradingcoursereviews.info and find out right trading course for you. Trading Course Reviews is an independent review site helping you make informed decisions about Trading course available.

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Filed under: Stocks & Mutual Funds

Things You’ll Never Do Again(!)……IF You Discover E-mini’s

http://www.emini-forex-trader.com/showmethemoney.php

Most of us start out in life thinking that the Stock Market is:

1)Some mysterious place where rich people gamble; then…

2)When we learn a little about it…. we see it as a place we can put some of our money and it has a chance to grow (over time);

3)Even though our money is always ‘at risk’, still the stock market produces better than a bank savings account or CD ever does. (Usually, that is.)

 

When you were a kid in school, and even through college, were you ever taught anything about the stock market other than the bare essential of ‘investing for the long haul’?

 

‘Investing’ is always the key word. Have you ever heard or read a brokerage firm or a Mutual Fund’s advertisement that talked about anything but investing? Investing is the only thing most folks know about financial opportunities and planning. Their ads have convinced you that you aren’t capable of doing your own planning, though…..let alone your own investing. They very blatantly tell us that [we] all should leave [our] planning to the ‘professionals.’ Namely, them.

Some 80-million Americans buy into their pitch….turning their financial planning and retirement hopes and dreams over to them. Those who want to get a little more involved, and learn a little about what’s going on, soon begin discovering one ‘eye-opener’ after another. Once you do, you’ll never do things the same way again.

 

First of all, that —

1)The Stock Market historically (since its beginning in 1896), has averaged 10-15% annual growth…even with all of the bad times averaged in! In other words, if one truly went ‘for the long haul’ their portfolio would have grown, regardless of depressions, Wars, 9-11…..and even Sept 2008! Their stock market investment would have beaten anything the banks offer; And, still can.

2)The second big ‘eye-opener’ would be discovering that trading (verses passive investing) allows one to take advantage of the UP’s and DOWN’s the Market is constantly experiencing;

3)The third is that the ‘Insiders’—the brokers and mutual fund managers, are the one’s who really know how to make the Stock Market pay off: They trade all day everyday! But, they preach only ‘investing’ to their clients. If you understand ‘shorting’ and the full nature of the agreement you signed when you opened your stock account or mutual fund, acknowledging that your money is ‘at Full-Risk,’ then you’ll recognize whose money it is that makes it possible for them to trade everyday at the levels they do! But, you and your portfolio? One can only hope that the stocks you think you are a long-term investor in, do grow over time. If they don’t? Oh, well….you acknowledged that you were ‘at full risk’ so the ‘manager’ is protected no matter what. He can trade with your stocks (sitting in their ‘house account’) and you’ll never know the difference. (He might even get real greedy and trade in your actual account. But then, that would be called ‘churning your account to collect extra commissions’. He migh get his hands slapped if you noticed it and complained.)

4)The fourth (and greatest) ‘eye-opener’ of all is that –with a little bit of knowledge, you can enjoy the tremendous advantages of being a ‘trader’ yourself— right along with them! Thanks to the Internet and the personal computer, the Stock Market has been changed forever. With these tools and a little trading knowledge, the playing field has been leveled for you with them. Instead of long-term hoping, you can now make it your daily cash flow machine, just like they do.

 

Oh, they don’t like it! Vested interests in the status quo never welcome any change.

It’s much more than just losing those big commissions you paid your stock broker or mutual fund manager. Perhaps they are beginning to see where the Internet and PC might make them and their jobs ‘museum pieces’. To fight it, they never talk about it. Self-trading and the ‘e-mini’ are the last things in this world they want you to discover. As a note of interest… a 2005 study of the ‘value of a broker or mutual fund manager to his client vs the amount of money he makes’ revealed that the average mid-level manager makes $742,000 a year; The client is fortunate (and happy as all get out) if his portfolio gains 10-15% appreciation. Doesn’t the Stock Market average that on it’s own? None other than Warren Buffet, himself, said that (and, I’m paraphrasing) “….equity investors could do better if they listened to no one.” (From his cover letter with the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Report, 2005)

 

All things considered…. Is it any wonder that when the ‘e-mini’ was introduced by the Chicago Mercantile Exchange in 1997 as a financial instrument that average folks could afford to learn to trade with on their new computer and via the Internet, that 11 years later, so many, many people have [still] never even heard of it, yet?

 

If you would like to learn more, there’s a ton of FREE ‘e-mini’ information available at my web site www.melhardman.com

 

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Filed under: Stocks & Mutual Funds

Day Trading On The Internet

trading stocks onine

Day trading is an extremely lucrative business that exists in the stock markets that enables people to trade securities in a single day resulting in substantial gains or losses for its owners. It is good to start to learnt the fundamental concepts of day trading. It is not a simple trade to be successful in, environments change rapidly so anticipate any opportunity that exists and take the initiative to learn from any failures you may have in the process.

This form of activity serves 2 major goals of the stock market-it offers liquidity and keeps the market running active. Up to date information is vital to make a good decision.

You can become a guru by learning the ways of day trading. The results are unpredictable and cannot be determined beforehand. A day trader has to have all the essential equipment to help him succeed in this difficult endeavor.

Online day trading is just like any other forms of business models- there is no absolute guarantee that you will make tons of money from this trade. Day trading–is it for everyone? The first thing you need to know is day traders only risk capital, which is something they can actually afford to lose.

The rule to be mindful of is, online day traders in general hold on to a position for only a couple of minutes. Always strive to build your trading skills with training. One needs to be able to think on the feet and have an unflinching heart to maneuver through the nooks and crannies of this challenging business. Another vital ability is a strong memory and the wisdom to avoid losing money.

Do not follow your own emotions while trading, instead follow the trends of the stock market. The ultimate goal of a day trader is to produce profit in a single day. Risk management is vital if you wish to become a professional trader.

Make sure that you already understand the mechanics of Forex day trading before you participate. One common characteristic is day trader will often watch the computer screen all day to follow the rise and fall of the stock market. One needs to have access to the right information at the right time to be able to make a successful decision.

You can be sure that people who day trades would testify that it is a really thrilling business. Day traders are confident in their own indicatory but they too know that there is no 100% in life that it will work. It is wrong to sell on bad days and even hazardous to buy on a bullish one.

True to its terms, day trading is the trading of securities within one single day. Be forewarned that this type of trading comes with a certain amount of hazards. Obviously, it is not a business one can try out without proper planning.

Day trading carries great risk. Do you need skills to make it work? It is normal for an online day trader to lose money out of every nine trades and still make a killing by the profits made in the tenth transaction. It could be quite fulfilling when you get familiar with how it works, but it comes with a mighty risk.

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Filed under: Day Trading

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