Have you ever heard of the terms Scalping, Swing Trading, Trend Trading and Momentum Trading? Wonder if you are any of them? Wondering what suits you? Heres a quick definition.
The different forms of trading are actually better differentiated by time frame more than the techniques that are involved. Because of the difference in time frame, different techniques must be used in order to reap profits from the capital markets.
From the shortest holding period to the longest, we have Scalping, Momentum Trading, Swing Trading and lastly, Trend Trading.
Scalping is a term used for a method where trades are opened and closed within a very short time scale, perhaps anything from a second or two to a few minutes. This is a day trading method where Scalpers make several, perhaps hundreds of trades a day, accruing small profits intraday for an overall daily return.
Momentum trading is another day trading method where the trader sees an acceleration in a stock’s price, earnings, or revenues and takes a long or short position in the stock with the hope that its momentum will continue in either an upwards or downwards direction. Once momentum slows down or...