the definition of a trader
a trader is an individual who engages in the buying and selling of assets in any financial market either for themself or on behalf of another person or institution the main difference between a trader and an investor is the duration for which the person holds the asset investors tend to have a longer term time horizon while traders tend to hold assets for much shorter periods to capitalize on short term trends the role of a traderthe main objective of a trader is to generate profits by buying at a low price and selling at a higher price what they buy and sell are financial assets that include stocks bonds currencies commodities and derivatives the profit generation is achieved through various approaches such as fundamental technical and quantitative analyses which aid in identifying market trends and opportunities 1traders also manage risks associated with their profession including market risk credit risk and liquidity risk they may use hedging strategies to mitigate these risks traders play a critical role in providing liquidity to financial markets their activities are essential for the smooth functioning of financial markets and the allocation of capital to productive uses skill requirements of traderstraders need to possess several quantitative and qualitative skills to be successful the skills are a combination of technical analytical and behavioral qualities it is a prerequisite for traders to be experts of the financial markets traders need to have a deep understanding of the asset classes market dynamics and various strategies in these markets traders have to be analytical they need to figure out how to process large amounts of data quickly and correctly to make informed decisions about the financial markets in which they trade numeracy skills are also important traders have to be able to calculate complex financial problems 1traders also need to be masters of risk management they must constantly monitor their current and potential positions to ensure that the risks they take are optimal traders must effectively use their stop loss and limit orders to maintain profitability and margins communication is also a key skill for a trader their colleagues clients bosses and other stakeholders need to quickly and effectively understand what their trader is saying so that they can make informed decisions finally traders should have high emotional intelligence trading is an intense profession and traders need to effectively manage their emotions in a highly stressful environment trading strategiestraders employ many strategies to produce and maintain profitability some of these strategies include scalping day trading swing trading event trading and position trading it should be noted that no trading strategy is foolproof there are advantages and disadvantages to any trading strategy traders also consider risks when employing their strategies scalping entails the buying and selling of financial instruments such as stocks futures currencies and commodities in quick succession with the goal of producing small gains on the positions scalpers attempt to profit from short term price movements the time frame that scalp traders hold positions ranges from seconds to minutes the risk in scalping lies in the quick generation of successive losses rather than gains 2the strategy of day trading involves taking positions in financial assets such as stocks futures currencies and commodities within the same trading day day traders tend to hold an abundance of trades over minutes and hours as they maneuver their transactions through changing market conditions they tend to amplify their trades through leveraged positions the use of leverage poses an additional risk for day traders 3swing trading involves profiting from short to medium term price movements in various financial instruments such as stocks futures currencies or commodities unlike scalpers and day traders swing traders hold their positions for longer time periods this can be for several days weeks or even months and is dependent on the asset the trend and the other existing positions of the swing trader generally swing trading is considered to be less risky than scalping or day trading because swing traders have more time to make decisions nonetheless there are risks involved news or events can affect the price trends of the swing trader s portfolio 4the strategy of event trading entails profiting from short term price movements triggered from a specific economic or financial event such as mergers or acquisitions earnings releases regulatory decisions inflation data labor market data or gross domestic product gdp data event traders need to execute their positions quickly seconds before the data release to profit from the position also event traders tend to use leverage to amplify their profits the use of leverage comes with additional risks to the strategy 5a position trader or a position trading firm is an individual or entity that buys financial assets for the long term these professionals hold positions for weeks months or even years the time frame of holding the position is highly dependent on the position trader s investment thesis as well as the economic and financial market outlook with the longer term view position trading is considered to be less risky than the other short term trading strategies as these traders have more time to endure the short term price fluctuations 6places where traders perform their dutiestraders tend to work in a variety of places those traders who work for themselves may have a home office or may rent one if that isn t the case traders will have roles in investment banks brokerage firms proprietary trading firms asset management firms hedge funds or exchanges traders may work in the physical office or remotely depending on the nature of the trading activity and the firm s policies trader operations institution vs own accountmany large financial institutions have trading rooms where traders are employees who buy and sell a wide range of products on behalf of the company each trader is given a limit as to how large of a position they can take the position s maximum maturity and how much of a mark to market loss they can have before a position must be closed out the company has the underlying risk and keeps most of the profit the trader receives a salary and bonuses on the other hand most people who trade on their own account work from home or in a small office and they often use a discount broker and electronic trading platforms their limits are dependent on their own cash and credit but they will often keep all profits discount brokers an important resource for tradersdiscount brokerage firms charge significantly lower commissions per transaction but provide little or no financial advice individuals can t trade directly on a stock or commodity exchange on their own account so using a discount broker is a cost effective way to gain access to the markets many discount brokers offer margin accounts which let traders borrow money from the broker to buy assets this increases the size of the positions they can take but also increases the potential loss 7foreign exchange trading platforms match currency buyers and sellers in the spot forward and options markets they sharply increase the amount of price information available to individual traders thus narrowing price spreads and reducing commissions the type of information that traders usetraders use a variety of techniques to source information this is essential to make informed decisions and be profitable in their activities the types of information that traders access include fundamental technical or market timing noise and sentiment with this information traders can even develop a contrarian view or find arbitrage opportunities fundamental information or fundamentals refers to data that provide insights into the underlying intrinsic value of the financial asset such as a stock bond future currency or commodity fundamentals are generally gleaned from economic industry specific and financial data and include economic data industry trends company news and events and financial statements 