Introduction to Swing Trading

Introduction

The price of a stock often travels in a series of highs and lows. A swing trade is based on the price movement created by these highs and lows. Swing trading is based on identifying momentum, where it's headed, and the possible reversal points.

Everyone has heard of day trading. The stock market sharks get spectacular gains in a day or two. But how many people have heard of swing trading? How many people know what it is and what you can use it for?

What is Swing Trading?

Swing trading is a form of trading where traders hold positions in a given stock for longer than one day. The stocks are held for a few days or even a few weeks. This form of trading is popular in the Indian stock market.
It attempts to capture gains in an asset over a few days to several weeks. Swing traders utilise various tactics to find and take advantage of these opportunities. The concept of swing trading is based on the premise that after security has risen or declined to a certain extent, the price may be due for a reversal. It is similar to the idea that a rubber band can only be stretched so far before it must snap back.

Swing trading is a speculative activity in financial markets where a tradable asset is held for between one and several days to profit from price changes or 'swings'. A swing trading position is typically held longer than a day trading position but shorter than buy and hold investment strategies that can be held for months or years.
The critical part of swing trading is that you must have good risk management to prevent losses from turning into bigger ones. This means having stop-loss orders in place before entering any trade and being willing to exit quickly when these orders are triggered.

What is a swing in the trading system?

A swing is an up or down movement that is big enough to bring a new price level. It is not a trend but rather a movement in a trend. The swing trader aims to buy when the price falls and sell when the price rises.

This type of trading uses technical analysis to find short-term opportunities in the market. Typically, traders buy dips in bullish swings and sell rallies in bearish swings. Then they aim to profit from the retracement of these price movements using small, precise entries.

Swing trading meaning is a method of trading that attempts to capture a profit from the price swings in the market. The price swings in the market are primarily based on either one or a combination of two factors:

1) Fundamental changes in an individual company's prospects
2) Changes in investor sentiment on a sector/industry or even the market as a whole

Typically, swing traders can last between days to several weeks. Swing traders usually hold their positions overnight and sometimes even for several days.

What is the objective of swing trading?

Swing trading is a trading technique whose main objective is to buy or sell a stock within a short period, ideally within just one day. A swing trader usually tries to find stocks showing some trend and enter into the trade at the beginning of the trend. In most cases, a swing trader would also try to exit the trade at an early stage.

Swing traders seek to hold their positions for an average of 2 days to a few weeks, making swing trading an excellent way to trade in a bear market. Swing traders also take advantage of market momentum. There are two types of swing trades:

1) Counter trend swing trade - selling or buying into resistance or support areas in the direction of the primary trend (for example, selling into support during an uptrend).

2)Trend following swing trade - buying into support or selling into resistance in the direction of the minor trend (for example, buying into support during an uptrend).

How does Swing Trading work?

A swing trader will typically look for high volume (lots of activity) and high volatility (lots of movement) stocks. Volatility is usually measured by how much the price has moved over time (usually one year).

1. Pick a stock

The first step is to find a stock that can deliver good returns in the short term. You can pick any security you want, but you must have good knowledge about the fundamentals of that security.

2. Analyse its chart

Once you have identified security, analyse its chart with various indicators like Relative Strength Index (RSI), Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD), Volume and Trend Lines etc., to understand how it has been performing historically. You should also read news articles about the company and industry news to understand what could affect its performance in the future.

3. Set up your entry

Place a stop-loss order at 5% below your entry price and set a target price at 20% above your entry price. A stock will typically bounce off its support level and move upwards before dropping after reaching its resistance level. This movement up and down is known as swing. A swing trader takes advantage of this movement by buying at the support level and selling at the resistance level.

Swing trading methods

Swing traders do not trade a single asset at a time but try to make a series of smaller trades with a total value equal to the size of their desired position.

The basic premise of swing trading is to profit from fluctuations in the price of your chosen asset by acting quickly at the right time and limiting your losses if needed. The best way to do this is through various methods such as technical analysis, fundamental analysis, and charting.

The most common strategies are:

1.    Trend following – this strategy attempts to predict the direction of a market and make trades according to that direction.
2.    Mean reversion – this strategy attempts to identify the best time for buying or selling an asset based on historical price data and then follow that trend consistently to maximize profits when it reverses back in the opposite direction from its original trend.
3.    Moving averages – these are simple tools that can determine an asset's next direction.
 

What are the opportunities for swing traders?

Swing traders have many opportunities within a trend, but taxes and commissions can cut into profit potential. Swing trading is the skill of reading a price chart and analysing the footprint of the swing highs and lows made by the market to forecast price direction accurately.
Swing trades are usually held for more than one day but shorter than trend trades. Positions are closed out within three to four weeks.

Trend traders look for successive higher highs or lower highs to determine the trend of a security. By contrast, swing traders use various measures to quantify the short-term trend and exploit that information for profits. A swing trader might use 50-day, 100-day and 200-day moving averages (MA) to define the primary uptrend or downtrend and a secondary reaction rally or pullback within it.
While there are several opportunities during each week in swing trading, not all of them will be profitable.
 

Advantages and Disadvantages of Swing Trading

Swing Trading is a trading strategy involving buying and selling securities in relatively short periods. It is suitable to either make money or to protect against losses. Any method or form of trading comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages of Swing Trading

●    Since swing traders don't have to wait until the end of the day or week to take their profits or cut their losses, they can capture profits when the market has made a significant move in either direction in a single trading day.
●    Investors undertaking swing trades also have less risk than other investors because they can adjust their positions more quickly than others.
●    Swing trading allows you to invest in both long and short-term strategies.
●    Swing trading is very flexible. You can take any position you like if it fits your risk profile.
●    Traders can rely solely on technical analysis, making the trading process easier.
●    Swing trading requires relatively less time to conduct as compared to day trading.

Disadvantages of Swing Trading

●    Swing trading requires a greater understanding of the financial markets, without which you may lose out on opportunities or pursue the wrong ones.
●    A lineup of false signals in the short term can lead to losses.
●    Swing investors often miss out on long-term opportunities to pursue short-term gains.
●    Trade positions for swing trading may be subjected to overnight and weekend market risks.
 

Wrapping Up

Swing trading is perhaps the most popular form of active trading, as positions are held for more than one day. It is a great way to trade in the Indian market. Many brokers allow you to trade from anywhere. Swing trading can give a lot of leverage and return to the trader. However, it is vital to be aware of the risk involved. Many casualties lose hard-earned money in this trade. Hence, it is essential to understand the whys, when's and how's of swing trading to stay away from loss-making moves.