Developing a winning trading system begins with choosing the trading style that’s right for you.
But especially when you are first learning how to trade, choosing the trading style that’s right for you can be a bit daunting.
There’s day trading, swing trading, position trading, momentum trading, and more.
Some trading styles involve buying and selling multiple times in the same day. This is known as “day trading” (also called “intraday trading”).
Other methods are still short-term, but with longer holding periods, such as a few days to weeks. This type of trading style is known as “swing trading.”
Continue reading, as we walk through the benefits of swing trading vs day trading to help you decide the best trading style for YOU.
If you tell a stranger that you are a stock trader, they may automatically assume you’re a day trader.
After all, day trading has gotten much exposure and publicity (not always positive) over the years.
Still, many professional stock and crypto traders prefer a swing trading style instead.
Below is a simple comparison of day vs swing trading, including the top pros and cons of both.
Day trading is a strategy that involves buying and selling stocks or crypto within the same day.
Average holding time varies greatly, from just seconds to a full day.
Scalpers may even hold a stock or crypto for only a few seconds, focusing on a rapid number of trades with small profits in a single day. However, most day traders hold stocks for several hours within the trading day.
Day traders take advantage of intraday price and volume momentum to open and close trades in the same day. Day traders may even open and close multiple positions at the same time.
Day traders constantly scan the market looking for valid trade setups and reliable chart patterns. Their basic objective is to buy a stock or crypto moving on high momentum, then to sell it at a higher price by the end of day. If successful, the day trader scores a gain equal to the difference between the purchase and sale price.
Proper day trading is like a full-time job, as it requires constantly monitoring the market throughout the day.
PROS:
✔ Day trading lowers risk exposure of after-hours market news that can lead to opening gap downs.
✔ Like swing trading, proper swing trading uses a technical, rule-based trading strategy.
✔ Because day traders typically make several trades per day, it’s possible to make a large amount of profit in a short amount of time (note this work both ways if you don’t cut losses).
✔ Day traders are their own bosses. Unlike a 9-5 job, day traders have the freedom to work whenever they want, and make as many trades as they are comfortable with.
CONS:
⚠ Requires highly active trade management and sitting in front of a computer all day.
⚠ Quite time consuming. May only be suitable for full-time traders.
⚠ Day trading is physically and mentally demanding (requires quick reflexes).
⚠ Day trading requires a significant amount of capital. In the USA, day trading stocks legally requires a minimum account balance of $25,000. If you don’t have enough money saved up to make multiple trades per day, you can’t day trade stocks (note that crypto trading does not have the same requirement).
⚠ Day trading often entails a higher risk, in anticipation for a potential higher reward.
⚠ Impulsivity is common. Because day trading is such a high-pressure activity, it’s easy to succumb to impulsive behavior and buy or sell stock too quickly. This can lead to bad trades, which will ultimately
Swing trading in stocks involves buying and selling stocks over a period of days to weeks.
Essentially, swing traders take advantage of “swings” in the market’s momentum.
For example, many swing trading strategies use a simple method of buying uptrending stocks on a pullback, then selling into strength of a short-term rally.
The basic idea is to identify stocks that are trending in one direction and find a price to enter where you’ll see the most profit potential. You then set a price at which you’ll exit the trade and realize your gains.
For example, let’s say you buy HappyTimes stock after it gaps up from a blowout earnings announcement.
You continue holding the stock while bullish momentum carries it higher over the next several days to weeks.
You set a price at which you’ll sell the stock when the momentum starts to slow down.
Eventually, the buyers take a rest and the price starts to pull back from the high. You now exit the stock with a substantial profit and move on to the next swing trade setup.
Overall, swing trading is a flexible, well-balanced trading style with solid reward-risk characteristics.
PROS:
✔ More relaxed approach – Since swing trading means that you’re holding stocks for a longer period of time, you don’t have to be as stressed out or anxious. You don’t have to check your stocks every hour (or even every day) like day traders do.
✔ Perfect side hustle – Set buy and sell orders outside of market hours. Work around your day job.
✔ Longer holding periods give you more control. Swing trading means that you’ll buy stocks, hold them for a few days to weeks (sometimes longer), and then sell them.
✔ More time to research the stock – One of the biggest benefits of swing trading is that you have more time to do research on a company before deciding to invest.
✔ Flexible enough to take advantage of shorter-term technical trends in both directions
✔ Strong risk control to keep losses in check, especially when combined with a market timing system.
CONS:
⚠ Can require a bit of patience at times, such as when market is just drifting sideways for a while.
⚠ Less “exciting” than day trading—but do you really want that? Go to Vegas if you are trading for the “excitement.”
Now that you understand the benefits of swing trading vs day trading, you may have an opinion on which trading style is best.
But when comparing swing trading with day trading, there simply is no “right” answer to that question.
Rather, the best trading style is a personal decision that should be based on your own risk tolerance and patience levels.
If you dread the thought of sitting in front of your computer all day, staring at flashing symbols, then you swing trading may be a better fit for you than day trading.
On the other hand, if you prefer the fast-paced action of placing multiple trades per day (and carefully managing them), then day trading may be suitable for you. Just make sure you’re disciplined and follow strict money management rules.
I personally started out as a day trader 25 years ago, but eventually found it to be too mentally and physically demanding. That’s when I started focusing on swing trading stocks and developing the Morpheus Trading system.
Swing trading and day trading are both active trading strategies that aim to profit from short-term and medium-term price movements respectively.
Each strategy has its own unique risks and rewards, and what works for one trader may not work for another. Therefore, It’s important to understand your own preferences, risk tolerance, and to have a solid trading plan.
Swing trading typically involves holding positions for several days or even a few weeks, and it can be less stressful and time-consuming than day trading. This is why many traders find swing trading to be the perfect side hustle.
Day trading, on the other hand, requires a high degree of focus and discipline, and is generally more time-consuming and stressful. Due to the pattern day trader rule, day trading also requires a higher amount of capital to get started.
Ultimately, the choice between swing trading and day trading is a personal one that only you can decide.
Regardless of which trading strategy you choose, it’s important to make sure that you’re well-informed so that you can make smart decisions.
In our exclusive Wagner Daily report, most of our stock trades are held from several weeks to months (depending on market conditions). Note the MTG system is designed to be completely end-of-day, giving you the perfect side hustle as a swing trader.
When comparing swing trading vs day trading, both can be consistently profitable methods of investing—as long as you maintain discipline and control your trading psychology.
When comparing swing vs day trading, it is difficult to say which is “safer,” as both have their own unique risks and rewards.
Day trading requires a high degree of focus and discipline, as well as a deep understanding of the markets and the ability to make quick decisions.
Swing trading also requires discipline and solid trading knowledge, but typically involves less stress and time pressure than day trading. However, overnight news that could affect price movement is more of a factor with swing trading.
Swing traders typically spend less time actively trading than day traders. Swing traders typically spend a few hours a day monitoring the markets and researching potential trades, but they may not execute trades every day. They may hold positions for several days or even a few weeks, so they don’t need to constantly monitor the markets or make quick decisions like day traders do.
Swing traders may also use automated tools or services like The Wagner Daily report to help them identify potential trades and manage their positions, which can further reduce the amount of time they need to spend actively trading. However, it is important to note that even though they may not spend all day actively trading, they do need to be available to manage their positions if necessary.
Note the amount of time a trader spends on trading can vary greatly depending on individual preferences, risk tolerance and trading strategy. Some traders may prefer to spend more time researching and analyzing the markets, while others may spend less time and rely more on automated tools.
Profitability in swing trading, as with any trading strategy, depends on a variety of factors, including your knowledge, experience, and risk tolerance.
Swing trading aims to profit from short to medium-term price movements, which can offer the potential for larger returns than day trading, but also carries the risk of larger losses. Risk of market-moving news outside of market hours is also a risk.
Swing traders typically hold positions for several days or even a few weeks, which can be beneficial in a trending market but can also be detrimental in a range-bound market.
The amount of money a trader makes is closely linked to the amount of capital they have available to trade with, as well as the size of the positions they take on, and the level of leverage they use.
Traders with a larger amount of capital may be able to make larger profits, but they also carry a larger risk of loss.
Broad market trend, personal discipline, and validity of the trading strategy also play a big role in how much swing traders make per day.
Swing trading and day trading are both forms of active trading, but they differ in the length of time positions are held and the type of price movements they aim to profit from.
Swing trading involves holding positions for several days or even a few weeks, and aims to profit from medium-term price movements. Day trading, on the other hand, involves making multiple trades within a single day and aims to profit from short-term price movements.
Swing trading typically requires less time and less focus compared to day trading as the traders hold positions for a longer period of time.
In swing trading, the term “swings” refers to the short-term price movements or fluctuations that occur in the market. The goal of swing trading is to profit from these short-term price movements, which can be up or down, by taking positions in stocks, cryptocurrencies, or other financial instruments.
For example, if you buy a pullback in an uptrending stock, then sell into strength of the next wave up a few days later—before the swing back down.
In a steadily trending market, a swing trading strategy based on trend trading may generate more consistent and reliable returns than day trading.
However, a solid day trading strategy may outperform swing trading returns in a choppy or range-bound market.
Swing trading typically involves holding positions for several days to weeks (sometimes longer). The time frame used for swing trading can vary, depending on the trader’s strategy and overall market conditions.
Some traders may use a shorter time frame, such as a 4-hour or daily chart, to identify potential trades and make decisions. They may look for patterns or technical indicators on these charts, such as the cup and handle or head and shoulders, to identify entry and exit points.
Others may use a longer time frame, such as a weekly or monthly chart, to get a better sense of the overall trend of the market and to identify key levels of support and resistance.
Ultimately, the choice of time frame depends on the individual trader’s preferences and the markets they are trading. It’s important to note that no single time frame is necessarily better than another, and traders may use multiple time frames in conjunction to make more informed decisions.
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View Comments
Swing trading seems like a right fit for me too.... just a typical swinger....
Swing trading has been popular among traders because it combines some of the advantages of two popular strategies, while avoiding a few of their unfavourable aspects.
Hey Peter,
Thanks for your comment. Indeed, we obviously feel swing trading is the "best fit" strategy for us (for the reasons mentioned above).
Checked out your site too. Interesting, as I've been recently looking more into the Australian markets and educating traders there.
Cheers,
Deron
May i know what is the best indicator in mt4?
Hello,
First of all, we don't use MT4, though I imagine it is similar to other technical analysis platforms.
As for the "best" technical indicator, it is not possible to answer that question without knowing the answer to many variables (such as your trading time horizon for starters).
All technical analysis indicators can help increase the accuracy of your trading, but the key is how they are used together as part of a system. More importantly, it is crucial to learn and master the signals from those indicators, rather than jumping around from one indicator to another.
For us, we focus primarily on price, volume, trendlines, and moving averages (20, 50, and 200-day MAs). Keeping it simple makes it much easier to spot key support and resistance levels on various timeframes.
Hope that helps.
Hi...thanks for the reply..I trade using 1 hour chart and i usually are scalping..so in your opinion what is the most suitable indicator for me?
Well, for a simple but effective strategy, consider using the 10, 20, and 50-period moving averages on the hourly chart. When there is a crossover of the faster moving averages up through the slower moving averages, and all three moving averages are sloping higher, that is a basic buy signal. Then, you can tune your entry based on breakouts above consolidation. Our article on the chart patterns for the best stock breakouts could help you with that part.
Again, it is impossible to explain a trading system in the space of a comment here, but that will get you started. If you really want to learn how to swing trade effectively, I suggest checking out our complete online stock trading course for swing traders.
Good trading to you!
Do you backtest strategies before launching them and if so, how exactly do you do this - what software and how do you set it up, where does the data come from, what skills are needed, how long does this phase take?
Hello,
We do not backtest strategies in an automated sense. However, our stock trading techniques are based on more than 10 years of experience (we started honing our trading strategy back in 2001). As time progresses, we simply make adjustments and tweaks to help improve the effectiveness of the system.
If you are looking for backtesting software, I recommend TradeStation because I know a lot of traders are happy with the backtesting capabilities of their software.
Thanks for dropping by our site.
what are the better to best oscillator's for swing trading weekly-Options???
Hello JNorris,
We do not use oscillators in our trading, as our methodology is kept simple by focusing on price, volume, and support/resistance levels. Of course, we also focus on key chart patterns such as valid bases that are poised to breakout.
Even though we do not use oscillators, you can determine when to sell into strength when you have profits that are 2-3x your initial risk (reward-risk ratio). Also, if you have a higher batting average (50-60%), then you can sell when you are up 2x what you risked.
Hope that helps.
Deron
I use ANDY LANK CASH FLOW method , it's my favorite
Dear Daron
I am a swing trader and been consistently following your stock picking strategy (buying into strength of 52 week high etc) but with my own exit strategy has really worked wonder with me. I cud even make 5 times of my entry price over in a year and I am not kidding here.
Many Many Thanks and Tons of regards for sharing your knowledge.
Hello, Thank you for the kind words. I'm glad our strategy is working for you! Sorry for the late response by the way.