Day Trading Versus Investing


by James Larson

There are many differences between day trading and investing. Day traders aim to make small profits many times by buying large numbers of shares and selling them within short periods of time to profit from small same day movements. Day traders can make several trades in one day and even hold stocks for a few hours or minutes before they sell them back.

Investing presupposes pre-calculated moves whereas day trading is more like speculation. Even though day trading is not quite like gambling because trades are based on specific analysis and information it is much less secure than investing. Neither the investor or the day trader base their decisions on luck.

Day traders base their buy and sell decisions on the fact that stock prices fluctuate constantly. The volatility of stock prices is what day traders depend on to make money. Conversely it is also what will determine if they will loose money. It is these daily small fluctuations that the day trader depends on to make a profit.

Every day trader relies on the small stock price fluctuations. This is achieved by purchasing large numbers of stock and making a few cents per stock. In the end it ads up. At the same time though buying large numbers of stock expecting that prices will go up has its risks because prices can drop.

One similarity between day trading and investing is that both require practice. You wont become a day trade nor a successful investor overnight. You will win some and loose some by practicing but you need to learn how to let the information sink in before making any big decisions about your money.

The major difference between a day trader and an investor has to do with time. Investors generally hold stock and assets much longer than the average day trader. Overall there is no consensus on which of the two methods is more effective.

Whether you are thinking of becoming an investor or a day trader you should take some time and learn about the techniques involved. In the end if you decide to take your money into your own hands you should be able to make the right decisions about investing.

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