While stock trading has risks, you can still take it up as a full-time career if you have a strong sense of the financial world
The stock markets attract millions of
people across the globe. Some see it as a means to earn a side income, whereas
others focus on long-term returns. There are also the ones who may want to take
up stock trading as a full-time career. If you have similar ambitions, here are
some important tips and suggestions on how to become a full-time stock trader.
Learn the basics - For becoming a full-time stock trader, it will be advantageous to
have a professional background such as a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).
However, that is not mandatory. Learning the basics of stock trading can be
done even without formal certification. You just need to devote time to learn
about financial markets. You need to know the various types of investment options.
You should be aware of trading mechanisms, regulatory requirements, market
players, etc.
Stock analysis tools - Once you have gotten a good grasp of the financial markets and
how they operate, you need to focus on things like fundamental analysis and
technical analysis. Fundamental analysis is the study of the financial statements
of a company. It gives an idea about the company's current strengths and its
future prospects.
However, stock markets can also be driven
purely by sentiments. For that, you will need to focus on learning technical
analysis. This is done via charts and patterns to predict price movements and
identify opportunities to book profits. You need to learn about risk management
as well, which will help protect your investments. Also, learn about investor
behavior, which is linked to their emotions of fear or greed.
Choose the type of stock trading - As a full-time trader, you will need to do intraday trading or
short-term trading. You need to learn about all the available trading options
such as intraday trading, swing trading, scalping, momentum trading, etc. You
can focus on a specific stock trading approach or have a more diversified way
of trading. It is important to note that intraday stock trading and short-term
trading will require you to closely monitor the stock markets for hours. So, do
not expect easy money from the stock markets.
Lab tests -
Before you invest real money, you need to sharpen your stock trading skills.
Various online platforms offer stock simulators that you can use to assess your
stock trading skills. This will be like a laboratory test before you take the
plunge into stock trading as a full-time career. Move ahead only when you see positive
results on online stock simulators.