4 Common Active Trading Strategies
Definition of Active Trading
Active trading is the act of buying and selling securities based on short-term movements with the goal of making a quick profit. This is in contrast to passive investing where the approach is buy and hold over the long term. Traders often use a multitude of tools and strategies which include but are not limited to fundamental, quantitative and technical analysis. Some traders also focus on market news and events.
Additionally, active traders may trade a variety of financial instruments such as stocks, bonds, currencies and commodities. They may also use options, futures and derivatives to hedge their positions or increase potential returns. As it pertains to active trading strategies, there are four (4) common approaches. They are scalping, day trading, swing trading and position trading.
1. Scalping
Scalping involves profiting from small price movements in a security. Scalpers generally hold a trading position for a very short period of time, ranging from a few seconds to a few minutes and they aim to generate gains from small price fluctuations.
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2. Day Trading
Day trading is a short term trading strategy whereby securities are bought and sold within the same trading day. Day traders aim to profit from price movements in a security and typically close all of their positions by the close of the market trading day.
3. Swing Trading
This approach involves buying and holding securities for a short period of time, usually from a few days to a few months. The goal of swing trading is to gain from short term price movements in the market, buying when prices are low and selling when prices are high.
4. Position Trading
This approach entails holding positions in securities for an extended period, usually from several l months to years or even decades. The objective of position trading is to profit from major trends in the market rather than short term price movements. Position trading is less active than scalping, day trading and swing trading. Institutions typically allocate a portion of their trading book to this approach.