What is crypto day trading: Everything you need to know

In crypto day trading, investors place significantly high volumes of trades within a single session to maximize their returns. It offers significant returns, but it is better to be mindful of the risks and follow a sound investment strategy. Let us take a quick look at the concept of day trading and ways to maximize your returns.

Crypto day trading defined

Crypto-day trading refers to buying and selling crypto assets within a single session, but the real goal is to make profits from short-term price fluctuations. Thus, a good strategy is one where traders spot opportunities in short-term price fluctuations. The price volatility can often help traders maximize their returns in a single session. Day trading, however, comes with risks given the volatility in the crypto market, the inability to track opportunities, bad calls, and even risk tolerance. Therefore, day trading requires sound investment acumen and a high level of knowledge, skill, and discipline to succeed.

How to day trade in crypto

Ideally, a good starting point in day trading is to acquire knowledge about specific crypto tokens and the exchange and research as extensively as possible. Individual risk tolerance level is also a crucial element in the mix. The risk could vary based on the financial status of individuals and even the kind of crypto in which one is interested in trading.

For instance, someone trading in Bitcoin will likely assume a larger risk profile given its high volatility. Meanwhile, somebody starting with a stablecoin might look at a consistently performing investment vehicle and may allocate funds accordingly. Once you get a grip on these factors, you may begin day trading.

Crypto day trading strategies

Most crypto day trading investors largely ignore their risk profiles. Unfortunately, day trading is a challenging and risky endeavor and not very practical for everyone every day. Hence, while research is essential, one also needs a solid trading strategy.

At the heart of the crypto day trading guidelines is a trading strategy, a set of rules and guidelines. The ideal strategy would consider risk tolerance, trading goals, and even prevailing market conditions. Experienced traders use a blend of analyses based on technical, sentiment, economic, and other market conditions to distinguish patterns and trading opportunities. Chart patterns could also be a good way to identify potential entry and exit points.

High-frequency trading (HFT)

HFT refers to using advanced algorithms and powerful computers to execute trades at very high speeds and frequencies. HFT firms use sophisticated software and infrastructure to analyze market data and identify trading opportunities, and they can execute trades in a matter of microseconds. HFT as a day-trading strategy has become increasingly popular recently, especially in the equities and futures markets. The trading strategy has fans in the crypto world though detractors argue that it leads to instability and volatility.

Scalping

Similar to HFT, scalping refers to quick trades typically involving an opening and closing position within seconds. Traders are likely to operate hundreds of trades within fractions of seconds, largely based on technical analysis tools. Scalping is certainly a high-risk strategy and needs accurate and swift decision-making skills. Developing such a strategy requires a significant amount of time and attention.

Range trading

Range trading appears to be a reasonably effective strategy compared to scalping and HFT. Range trading involves identifying a specific range where a specific asset moves and placing an entry or exit accordingly. The goal of range trading is to profit from the price movements within the range rather than predicting the market’s direction. Range traders typically use technical analysis tools, such as support and resistance levels, to identify the range and the potential entry and exit points for their trades. Once a range has been identified, the trader can buy at the bottom and sell at the top of the range, or vice versa, as long as the price remains within the range.

Technical analysis

Technical analysis refers to the analysis of market data such as price, volume, and even external factors that one needs to consider before making a trade decision. Technical analysis analyzes the price movements of crypto assets and identifies patterns that can help predict future price movements.

The goal of technical analysis is to identify trends and patterns in the market that can help traders make more informed trading decisions. However, it is important to note that technical analysis is not foolproof and can sometimes produce false signals. So, traders need to use it with other forms of analysis, such as fundamental analysis and market sentiment, to make informed trading decisions.

News and sentiment analysis

Believe it or not, sentiment is as influential a part of crypto day trading as technical analysis. News related to certain technologies, initial coin offerings, and even comments from industry leaders are likely to influence the price movement of crypto assets. Besides, regulatory changes and social media posts can also make or break a trade. By analyzing news and sentiment data, traders can gain insights into market trends and potential trading opportunities.

For example, data indicating positive sentiment could be a major opportunity for a price rise. Similarly, negative news could affect one’s portfolio. With the rise in social media channels and crypto investment avenues, manually tracking news for sentiment analysis could be cumbersome. It is here that NLP (Natural Language Processing) and machine-learning techniques can be relied upon. In recent times, several crypto price prediction sites have mushroomed, so here’s a CoinSwitch article on the most accurate prediction sites.

Conclusion

Rookie day traders often make the mistake of considering day trading as gambling. They spread their money across different investment avenues without proper research. While frequent buy-and-trade orders are essential, one must understand that success is guaranteed only to strategists who devise a sound trading strategy. Traders who know their risks, dedicate time to research, and have tested their analyses truly have an edge.

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