The most basic forms of forex trades are a long trade and a short trade. In a long trade, the trader is betting that the currency price will increase in the future and they can profit from it. A short trade consists of a bet that the currency pair’s price will decrease in the future. Traders can also use trading strategies based on technical analysis, such as breakout and moving average, to fine-tune their approach to trading.
Depending on the duration and numbers for trading, trading strategies can be categorized into four further types:
- A scalp trade consists of positions held for seconds or minutes at most, and the profit amounts are restricted in terms of the number of pips. Such trades are supposed to be cumulative, meaning that small profits made in each individual trade add up to a tidy amount at the end of a day or time period. They rely on the predictability of price swings and cannot handle much volatility. Therefore, traders tend to restrict such trades to the most liquid pairs and at the busiest times of trading during the day.
- Day trades are short-term trades in which positions are held and liquidated in the same day. The duration of a day trade can be hours or minutes. Day traders require technical analysis skills and knowledge of important technical indicators to maximize their profit gains. Just like scalp trades, day trades rely on incremental gains throughout the day for trading.
- In a swing trade, the trader holds the position for a period longer than a day; i.e., they may hold the position for days or weeks. Swing trades can be useful during major announcements by governments or times of economic tumult. Since they have a longer time horizon, swing trades do not require constant monitoring of the markets throughout the day. In addition to technical analysis, swing traders should be able to gauge economic and political developments and their impact on currency movement.
- In a position trade, the trader holds the currency for a long period of time, lasting for as long as months or even years. This type of trade requires more fundamental analysis skills because it provides a reasoned basis for the trade.
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