Moving Averages and Scalp Trading

Moving Average constitutes a very popular method of predicting the price trend or movement of an underlying holding. With its help, one can quickly understand the trend of a stock or currency.

Moving Averages smoothen out erratic movements in prices or charts. With this method, it becomes easy to see a clear picture about the behavior in the price of a security. This is a very simple and easy method of analysis and prediction. Though simple, it is extremely powerful in establishing the trend.

Short and Long Term Trend

Moving Averages are helpful in both short term and long term analysis. While as short term analysis is used to measure or smoothen short term trends, longer averages are used to measure or smoothen long term trends.

Scalp trading

This is used mainly for taking advantage of a very short term trading opportunity. By taking quick action for either making an entry or exit, day traders are supposed to engage in scalp trading.

Scalp traders are supposed to make several trades a day within a matter of minutes. The assumption behind this is this way a scalper can make quick little profits which will tend to accumulate.

Most important features of scalp trading are getting in and getting out quickly from a stock or holding, avoiding of overnight positions, low price spreads and commissions, fast reactions and intense concentration.

Moving Averages And Scalp Trading

Scalp traders can benefit from moving averages by following very short term DMAs of 5. With a short term moving average, moving above the long term average, one can go long. However, since scalpers are mostly day traders, for them when the longer term moving average goes below the shorter term moving average, they should go short.

In order to succeed in day trading, it is necessary that traders use both longer term moving and shorter term moving averages. Two or more moving averages will have to used for the purpose of trading. One can use any type of moving average like simple, weighted and exponential.

The concept behind moving averages is quite simple. When the actual prices are rising, these will be above the average. That could indicate a buying opportunity. On the other hand when the underlying prices are below the average, that indicates falling prices and possibly a bearish market.

By constantly comparing average and underlying prices, scalping traders can take appropriate positions. They can fix several points and in between these, they can make an idea about the underlying current in the prices of a stock or currency.

Precautions For Traders

Combining moving averages with day trading involves a quick grasp of the stock prices. In order to be successful in this strategy, it is necessary that one constantly undergoes a learning and educational cycle. It also demands constant practice and trial and error.

The most important factors for this are perfect timing and attention. It should be expected that there are high costs involved in the same and this could be stressful. Traders will have to constantly obtain data, plot them on maps and graphs, understand the movement and quickly react. This could be very intense and stressful.

Traders, who can quickly read, locate breakouts and trends and take quick position, can reap good benefits.

The author has background in business, economics and finance. He is presently researching in finding ways to make money and working on the following website and blogs:

http://www.businesses-jobs-careers.com

http://makemoneyplans.blogspot.com/

Reuters - The assets of failed U.S. mortgage lender IndyMac are being bought by a group of private equity and hedge fund firms, including Dune Capital Management and J.C. Flowers & Co, which are putting up $1.3 billion in cash.

Learn Stock Trading
Learn Online Forex Currency Trading
What Would Scooby

A Dozen Rules For Trading Fools

1) Lower your position size until you show a track record of good performance. It is better to lose small so your can eventually win big.

2) Always look for favorable conditions to trade from or stay out of the market until they appear. Bad executions will ruin a perfect chart setup.

3) Watch the stock before you enter. Look for evidence to confirm your decision. The volume and trend must support the reversal, breakout or fade you're expecting to happen.

4) Decide how long you want to be in the market before you execute the trade. Don't day trade a stock you want to invest in or invest in a stock that was supposed to be a swing trade. Don't swing trade a stock that was supposed to be a day trade. You are supposed to be using different accounts for different trading objectives. If you mix these trades up then you'll just have more than one account doing the same thing. There is no point in this.

5) Take positions on the side of momentum, not against it. It's less dangerous to be on a speeding freight train then to jump out in front of one.

6) Avoid trading at the open. There are too many fades, reversals, gaps, news and other things that will likely dramatically affect stock prices in the first ten minutes. Let the market settle down first after the market makers and specialist have fleeced the amateurs. Only then is it time to trade. Let the market show its hand before you trade it.

7) Avoid pre-market trading unless there is an absolute must own stock that you missed the day before and you found in your scans after the market closed. If I find a stock like this in my scans the night before, I may buy it in pre-market. Other than that situation, Pre-market trading is too difficult due to the spreads, illiquidity and the fact that you are hampered by the dreaded limit order and the inability to execute a stop order.

8) Stay away from the reactions of the crowd. Their emotions often signal opportunity in the opposite direction. Profit rarely follows the masses. Step aside when confusion is in the air and the market or herd lacks direction.

9) It is okay to take overnight positions. Buy at the close and hold until the next day's trading session. As long as your disciplined enough to maintain a proper positions size. By holding overnight, you can take advantage of selling the gap up for profit at the open. Of course, there is always risk the stock will gap down. Holding over night is risky but there is also the potential for big rewards.

10) Trade with a strategy of entering new trades at support and exiting them at resistance in a range-bound market. Trade with a momentum strategy of buying breakouts at new highs or selling short at new lows in a trending market.

11) The entry is the key to success. An excellent entry on a mediocre chart makes more money than a bad entry on an excellent chart.

12) Follow the our indicator panel. Our BBI and MSL indicators have been on the money during this latest market slide. If you are following them, you should be either 100% cash or shorting the market. If you are in cash as these indicators have advised, you have preserved all your prior gains. If you are short the market based on these indicators, you are making a healthy profit as the market goes down. Do not underestimate the value of this indicator panel.

David Colletti
Founder
StockTradersHQ.com
The Headquarters for Serious Traders.

Copyright 2008 StockTradersHQ.com

This article is courtesy of David Colletti, a ten year veteran stock trader and founder of StockTradershq.com. Our staff of professional technical traders analyze 1,000's of potential stocks every day to provide you with a list of stock recommendations nightly with the greatest potential for explosive gains. These stock picks are traded with our real-time portfolio. Email alerts are sent to members for every entry and exit. Our subscription service provides all the resources, stock picks and tools an investor needs to make very profitable, consistent trades while maximizing gains and minimizing losses. StockTradersHQ.com offers a 21 day free trial with full member access.

http://www.stocktradershq.com/

Reuters - A report in the Sunday Times that Microsoft Inc is in talks with Yahoo Inc to buy the U.S. internet company's online search business for $20 billion is "total fiction," according to a key executive cited by an influential U.S. blog.

Hoopsworld S Week In Review
Online Opportunities Stock Trading
Free Online Stock Trading