intraday trading || what is intraday trading

In the world of finance and investing, opportunities arise at every turn, and for those seeking to harness the dynamic nature of the stock market, intraday trading presents an exciting path. In this blog, we will explore what is intraday trading, types of strategies used, and benefits.

“Success in intraday trading is not about being right all the time, but about managing risk and cutting losses quickly when you’re wrong.” – Linda Bradford Raschke

List of contents

• What is intraday trading?
• Basics of intraday trading
• Types of strategies used
• Essential Factors for intraday trading success
• Benefits
• Disadvantage
• Conclusion

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What is intraday trading?

Intraday trading, or day trading, involves buying and selling securities listed on a stock exchange within a single trading day. Traders aim to profit from short-term price changes and the volatility of financial markets. In this type of trading, all trades are closed by 3:30 p.m., ensuring quick exits from positions. The primary goal of this trading is to earn quick profits.

Basics of intraday trading

• Timing: The trading hours are from Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• Time frame: commonly used time frames on a candlestick chart in intraday trading are 15 minutes and 5 minutes. These time frames provide traders with a balanced view of price movements and are suitable for capturing short-term trends and making timely trading decisions.
• Order type: MIS (margin intraday square-off) order is placed when executing intraday trades.

Types of strategies used

To make profits in intraday trading, you will need to do a lot of research to make an informed decision. Technical analysis is a key tool for making informed trading decisions. The first and crucial step is selecting the right stock, which involves using intraday trading indicators and price action strategies.

1) Indicator-based strategy: Intraday trading indicators are tools that traders use to analyse market data and identify potential trading opportunities. These indicators provide valuable insights into market trends, momentum, volatility, and potential entry and exit points.

Some commonly used best indicator for intraday trading include moving averages, bollinger bands, relative strength index (RSI), moving average convergence and divergence (MACD), volume weighted average price (VWAP), and momentum oscillators.

2) Price action-based strategy: Price action trading involves analysing a security’s price movement on a chart without using indicators or technical tools. Traders study patterns, trends, support and resistance levels, and candlestick formations to make decisions solely based on price. This approach focuses on understanding buyer and seller behaviour as reflected in the price movement.

Traders look for patterns like support, resistance, trendlines, chart patterns (double top and bottom, triangle, head and shoulder, cup and handle, etc.), and candlestick patterns (hammer, shooting star, gravestone doji, dragonfly doji, etc.) to guide their trades. The advantage of price action trading lies in its simplicity and ability to grasp market dynamics directly from the price chart.

Essential Factors for intraday trading success

Intraday trading is not just about having a solid strategy; it’s about having the right trading psychology, discipline, mindset, risk management, and patience. These factors contribute 80% to your success, while the strategy accounts for the remaining 20%.

One of the most crucial elements of this trading is the use of a stop-loss order. It acts as a safeguard, protecting you from sudden price drops and limiting potential losses. Implementing a stop-loss order helps you manage risk effectively and maintain control over your trades.

Benefits

For traders actively involved in short-term market movements, intraday trading brings several benefits. Here are some of the key advantages:

• Short selling: Short selling is one of the biggest benefits of intraday trading. It allows you to sell a stock before buying it. If you think a stock’s price will decline, you can sell it first, and when it drops further, you can buy it back to close the position. This strategy enables you to profit from falling stock prices.
• Leverage: Leverage in this type of trading allows you to trade with a small amount of capital while controlling larger positions in the market. With leverage, you can amplify your potential returns with a smaller amount of money.
• High profit: It offers the potential for higher returns in a shorter timeframe compared to traditional investments.
• Overnight risk: It eliminates the need to take overnight risks. This means that your positions won’t be affected by unfavourable news that emerges overnight and has the potential to heavily influence security prices.

Disadvantage

Here are some key drawbacks:

• High risk: It involves higher levels of risk compared to long-term investments. The short-term nature of trades exposes traders to rapid price movements and increased volatility, which can lead to significant losses.
• Charges and taxes: It involves frequent buying and selling of securities, which leads to higher transaction costs, charges, and taxes. These additional costs can eat into potential profits.

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Conclusion

Intraday trading offers immense potential and an exciting opportunity for traders to capitalise on short-term price fluctuations and take advantage of the dynamic nature of financial markets. By actively participating in this type of trading, traders can potentially earn quick profits and enjoy the thrill of making rapid trading decisions.

Happy trading!

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