Trading

Swing Trading: Definition

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Simple Definition

Holding stocks for days or weeks to profit from short-term price swings.

Why It Matters

Swing trading is the middle ground between day trading and long-term investing. You hold positions for days to weeks, aiming to capture 'swings' in price. It requires less screen time than day trading and avoids the pattern day trader rule. However, you still need to time entries and exits - which most people do poorly.

Key Points

  • Typical holding period: 2-10 days, sometimes a few weeks
  • You can use technical analysis to identify entry/exit points based on trends and patterns
  • Overnight and weekend risk: prices can gap up or down while you can't trade

Related Terms

Common Questions

Holding stocks for days or weeks to profit from short-term price swings. Swing trading is the middle ground between day trading and long-term investing. You hold positions for days to weeks, aiming to capture 'swings' in price.

Swing trading is the middle ground between day trading and long-term investing. You hold positions for days to weeks, aiming to capture 'swings' in price. It requires less screen time than day trading and avoids the pattern day trader rule. However, you still need to time entries and exits - which most people do poorly.

Typical holding period: 2-10 days, sometimes a few weeks

You can use technical analysis to identify entry/exit points based on trends and patterns

Overnight and weekend risk: prices can gap up or down while you can't trade