How Day Traders Make Big Money – Their Secrets Revealed!
September 24, 2009 by Tim Hunt
Filed under Stock Trading
There is excellent money to be made in day trading, but, unlike what some may think, it is not a simple job. To be successful, you’ll need to put in some work.
Trading commodities and stocks is a day job, and a challenging one at that. Though it can be lucrative, certain habits must be learned for success, and the trader with particular traits is more likely to be successful.
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 of successful day traders is the ability to make sharp observations, and to be patient when things don’t pan out. Observations must be made quickly and with good short term memory. Though it can be hard, you must train yourself to stay calm even when you lose a trade, and just as importantly, keep your cool even when you make 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.
Remember that you don’t have to do this analytical research on your own. High ranking day traders use a variety of tools and have different research and data services at the ready.
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.
